- With regard to human tissues, applies mainly to bone
- Defines the relationship between stress (force per unit area) and strain (proportional deformation) in a solid material
- A stiffer material (such as a metal) requires more force to be deformed, thus it has a higher Young’s (elastic) modulus
- A softer material (such as an elastic band) requires less force to be deformed, thus it has a lower Young’s (elastic) modulus
- Directionality:
- Isotropic = the elastic properties are the same in every orientation
- Anisotropic = the elastic properties change with direction of the force applied