The force applied to a material divided by its cross-sectional area is called

• A. Stress
• B. Strain
• C. Density
• D. Pressure

Answer: (A)

When a load is spread over a area of a material, the intensity of that internal loading is described by stress. It is defined as the force divided by the cross-sectional area, and it tells you how much internal force per unit area the material experiences. This concept helps predict if the material will stretch, compress, or fail under the applied load. The unit is pascal (N/m^2).

Strain, by contrast, is about how much the material deforms (a change in length relative to its original length), not the intensity of the applied load. Pressure also uses force per area, but it refers to external forces acting on a surface (often in fluids) rather than the internal state of a solid. Since the question describes the internal force distribution within the material, the correct term is stress.