Why do we call the constant of proportionality in hook's law as Young's Modulus?

[perfectz]

Why do we call the constant of proportionality in hook's law as Young's Modulus and not as Young's coefficient? Is there any difference in Modulus and coefficient in engineering context?

 

[tiny-tim]

Why do we call the constant of proportionality in hook's law as Young's Modulus and not as Young's coefficient? Is there any difference in Modulus and coefficient in engineering context?

Hi perfectz!

That's very interesting …

I'll guess that a coefficient is a dimensionless ratio, between two things of the same type …

for example, a coefficient of friction converts one force to another force …

but a modulus changes (or modulates) a lengthy thing to a forcey thing.

now i expect people will start throwing counter-examples at me​

 

[Mene]

The constant of proportionality in Hooke's law, known as Young's Modulus, is named after Thomas Young, a British scientist who first described the relationship between stress and strain in materials. This constant is a measure of the stiffness or elasticity of a material, and is a fundamental property used to characterize the behavior of materials under stress.

The term "modulus" refers to a measure of the stiffness of a material, while "coefficient" refers to a constant that relates two quantities. In the context of engineering and materials science, the term "modulus" is commonly used to describe a variety of properties that are related to the stiffness of a material, including Young's Modulus, Shear Modulus, and Bulk Modulus. These different moduli represent different types of deformation and are used to characterize the behavior of materials under different types of stress.

In contrast, the term "coefficient" is typically used to describe a constant that relates two quantities, such as the relationship between stress and strain in Hooke's law. While both terms are commonly used in engineering and materials science, "modulus" is more specific and accurately describes the constant of proportionality in Hooke's law.

In conclusion, the term "Young's Modulus" is used specifically to describe the constant of proportionality in Hooke's law, while "Young's coefficient" may refer to a more general concept of a constant relating two quantities. Both terms are important in engineering and materials science, but they refer to different properties and should not be used interchangeably.