Which term describes the force associated with stretching a material along its length under load?

• A. Compression
• B. Tension
• C. Shear
• D. Bending

Answer: (B)

Stretching a material along its length under load is described by tension. When you apply a pull along the axis, the internal forces act to elongate the specimen, pulling its ends apart and creating tensile stress. This axial stretching is exactly what tension refers to. In contrast, compression is the pushing that shortens length, shear involves sliding parallel to a plane within the material without necessarily elongating it, and bending causes one side to be stretched while the opposite side is compressed. So the term that best fits stretching along the length under load is tension.