MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF MATTER Compression 1. A force that tends to shorten or squeeze something, decreasing its volume. 2.

The degree to which a substance has decreased in size (in volume, length, or some other dimension) after being or while being subject to stress. 3. The re-encoding of data (usually the binary data used by computers) into a form that uses fewer bits of information than the original data. Compression is often used to speed the transmission of data such as text or visual images, or to minimize the memory resources needed to store such data. Tension 1. A force that tends to stretch or elongate something. 2. An electrical potential (voltage), especially as measured in electrical components such as transformers or power lines involved in the transmission of electrical power. Shear
A force, movement or pressure applied to an object perpendicular to a given axis, with greater value on one side of the axis than the other. See more at shear force, stress, strain.

Stressed The force per unit area applied to an object. Objects subject to stress tend to become distorted or deformed. Strained A group of organisms of the same species, sharing certain hereditary characteristics not typical of the entire species but minor enough not to warrant classification as a separate breed or variety. Resistance to specific antibiotics is a feature of certain strains of bacteria. Hardness A measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched. Hardness is measured on the Mohs scale.

Tensile Strength A measure of the ability of material to resist a force that tends to pull it apart. It is expressed as the minimum tensile stress (force per unit area) needed to split the material apart. Elongation The angular distance between two celestial bodies as seen from a third. Elongation is normally conceived as a measure of the angle formed between the Sun and a celestial body, such as a planet or the Moon, with Earth at the vertex. In terms of the celestial sphere, elongation is the distance between the Sun and the body as measured in degrees of celestial longitude. When the body lies on a direct line drawn from Earth to or through the Sun, its elongation is 0 and it is said to be in conjunction . It is said to be inquadrature when it lies at a right angle to a line between the Earth and Sun with an elongation of 90, and it is in opposition when it lies on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun with an elongation of 180. Superior planets (those that are farther from the Sun than Earth) have a full range of elongations between 0 and 180. Inferior planets (those closer to the Sun than Earth) have limited elongations due to their smaller orbits; Venus has a greatest elongation of about 48, while Mercury's greatest elongation is about 28. See more at conjunction, opposition. Fracture A break or rupture in bone tissue Toughness Toughness is the resistance to failure or crack propagation. Corrosion The breaking down or destruction of a material, especially a metal, through chemical reactions. The most common form of corrosion is rusting, which occurs when iron combines with oxygen and water.

Ductility The quality or state of being flexible Elasticity or Plasticity the quality or condition of being elastic; specif., 1. springiness; flexibility; resilience 2. buoyancy of spirit 3. adaptability

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