I Question about elasticity to help my understanding

[samy4408]

Hello, today we learned about elasticity, whose formula was the change of pressure over the volume change (∆p/∆v), which seemed very weird compared to the use of the adjective elastic daily, my question is can we say that a piece of wood is very elastic? because even applying a large pressure will not change the volume that much.
hoping for a replay, and thanks.

 

[tech99]

I agree it seems very odd. The reciprocal of elasticity is compressibility, which seems to suit the purpose better.

 

[Frabjous]

What is the full formula?
Linear isotropic elasticity requires two physical constants. One of them, the bulk modulus K, is explained with ΔP/ΔV. In the literature, you will find more than 2 constants, but any two of them can be used to explain things uniquely. There are formulas to convert between them.
An elastic material returns to its original size and shape when applied forces are removed. Large enough forces can cause inelastic behavior.
Wood is heterogenous and anisotropic, so linear isotropic elasticity can only be used in certain situations. There are more general forms of elasticity that can be used for more general cases.