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- Poisson’s ratio
When uniaxial tensile force is applied to a solid, the solid stretches in the direction of the applied force (axially), but it also contracts in both dimensions perpendicular to the applied force.
If the solid is homogeneous and isotropic, and the material remains elastic under the action of the applied force, the transverse strain bears a constant relationship to the axial strain. This constant, called Poisson’s ratio, is defined as the negative ratio of the transverse (negative) to axial strain under uniaxial stress.