Elastic
This is not about elasticity in economics.
In physics and engineering, the adjective elastic characterises both collisions and deformations.
A collision is elastic if the total kinetic energy of the colliding objects is conserved as kinetic energy (overall energy is conserved in all collisions, whether elastic or not). No macroscopic collisions are truly elastic, although some come close. A frequent cause of highly inelastic collisions occurs when one or more of the objects suffers a plastic deformation.
The deformation of a solid is part of the study of solid mechanics. In solid mechanics, a material is elastic if it changes shape due to an applied load, but that when the load is removed, recovers its original shape. Further, the deformation of an elastic material is linearly related to the applied load.
The elasticity of a solid is inversely proportional to the strength of the material. If the material is isotropic, its strength is characterized by Young's modulus. Furthermore, if the material is isotropic, and a force is applied in one direction, the deformation in the other directions is governed by Poisson's ratio.
The word elastic is often used colloquially to refer to an elastomeric material such as rubber or cloth/rubber combinations.
Referenced By
Continuum mechanics | Deformation | Solid mechanics | Strength of materials | Theory of elasticity
|
