Tensile force
- Forces can change the size and shape of a body, as well as their motion
- When forces change the size or shape of a body this is known as deformation
- Forces acting in opposite directions stretch or compress a body
- When two forces stretch a body, they are described as tensile
- When two forces compress a body, they are known as compressive
Tensile and compressive forces
Tensile forces act to increase the length of an object, compressive forces act to reduce the length of an object in a given dimension