Hooke's law can be expressed as the formula
The value of the constant depends on the material and the type of stress. For tensile and compressive forces it is called Young's modulus, E; for shearing forces, the shear modulus, S; and, for forces affecting the volume of the object, the bulk modulus, K.
Hooke's law applies only below the limit of proportionality (see diagram). Above the elastic limit (not the same as the limit of proportionality) deformation becomes plastic instead of elastic and a permanent set remains when the deforming stress is relaxed.
Related category PROPERTIES OF MATTER
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