Associate Safety Professional Practice Exam

What is the definition of tensile strength in materials?

1. The maximum weight a material can hold

2. The breaking strength when exposed to tensile force

3. The stress at which a material begins to deform

4. The ability of a material to withstand compression

The correct answer is: The breaking strength when exposed to tensile force

Tensile strength is defined as the maximum amount of tensile (stretching) stress that a material can withstand before failure occurs. This property indicates how much stretching a material can tolerate before it breaks under tension. Therefore, when a tensile force is applied, the breaking strength is the critical point where the material fails, making this definition accurate. Understanding tensile strength is crucial for various applications, especially in fields like engineering and construction, where materials must resist forces without showing significant deformation or breaking. The determination of tensile strength is essential for ensuring safety and structural integrity in designs. Other choices address different material properties but do not accurately capture the definition of tensile strength.