What does Young's Modulus indicate about a material?

Young's Modulus is a fundamental property that quantifies the stiffness of a material, indicating how much it will deform under a given stress. It is defined as the ratio of tensile stress (force per unit area) to tensile strain (proportional deformation in length) in the elastic region of a material’s stress-strain curve. A high Young's Modulus value signifies that a material is stiff and requires a larger amount of stress to produce a certain amount of strain, while a low value indicates that the material is more flexible or compliant.

This property is crucial in engineering because it helps predict how materials will behave under load and is essential when designing structures or components that must withstand various forces without deforming excessively. Understanding Young's Modulus allows engineers to select suitable materials for specific applications based on their stiffness requirements.