The key difference between elastic modulus and Young’s modulus is that elastic modulus refers to the ratio of the force exerted upon a substance to the resultant deformation, whereas Young’s modulus refers to the measure of the ability of a material to withstand changes in length when it is under lengthwise tension or compression.
Elastic modulus can be described as the unit of measurement of an object’s or substance’s resistance towards deformation elastically upon the application of stress. Young’s modulus can be described as the mechanical property that measures the tensile or compressive stiffness of a solid when the force is applied lengthwise.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Elastic Modulus
3. What is Young’s Modulus
4. Elastic Modulus vs Young’s Modulus in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Elastic Modulus vs Young’s Modulus
What is Elastic Modulus?
Elastic modulus is the unit of measurement of an object’s or substance’s resistance towards deformation elastically upon the application of stress. This is also known as the modulus of elasticity. In other words, elastic modulus is the slope of its stress-strain curve in the elastic deformation region. E.g. a stiffer material will have a higher elastic modulus.
There are three types of elastic moduli: Young’s modulus, shear modulus, and bulk modulus. Among them, Young’s modulus tends to describe tensile elasticity or the tendency of an object to deform along an axis when opposing forces are applied along this particular axis. The second modulus, shear modulus, describes the tendency of an object to shear when acting upon by opposing forces. The bulk modulus describes the volumetric elasticity or the tendency of an object to undergo deformation when uniformly loaded in all directions.
Sometimes, the modulus of elasticity is known as elastic constant, whereas the inverse quantity of this parameter is known as elastic modulus. Furthermore, inviscid fluids are specific because they cannot support shear stress. This means the shear modulus is always zero.
What is Young’s Modulus?
Young’s modulus is the mechanical property that measures the tensile or compressive stiffness of a solid when the force is applied lengthwise. It is also known as a modulus of elasticity because it is a type of elastic modulus. This parameter can quantify the relationship between tensile/compressive stress and axial strain in the linear elastic region of a material.
Figure 01: The Slope Referring to Young’s Modulus
Young’s modulus allows us to calculate the change in the dimension of a bar made of an isotropic elastic material under tensile or compressive loads. For example, it can measure how much material sample extends under tension or shortens under compression.
What is the Difference Between Elastic Modulus and Young’s Modulus?
The key difference between elastic modulus and Young’s modulus is that elastic modulus refers to the ratio of the force exerted upon a substance to the resultant deformation, whereas Young’s modulus refers to a measure of the ability of a material to withstand changes in length when it is under lengthwise tension or compression.
Below is a summary of the difference between elastic modulus and Young’s modulus in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Elastic Modulus vs Young’s Modulus
Elastic modulus is the unit of measurement of an object’s or substance’s resistance towards deformation elastically upon the application of stress. Young’s modulus is the mechanical property that measures the tensile or compressive stiffness of a solid when the force is applied lengthwise. The key difference between elastic modulus and Young’s modulus is that elastic modulus refers to the ratio of the force exerted upon a substance to the resultant deformation, whereas Young’s modulus refers to a measure of the ability of a material to withstand changes in length when it is under lengthwise tension or compression.
Reference:
1. “Young’s Modulus.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Stress strain ductile” By Nicoguaro – Own work (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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