Which property describes how much a material deforms under tensile stress?

The property that describes how much a material deforms under tensile stress is Young's modulus. Young's modulus is a measure of the stiffness of a material, which quantifies the relationship between stress (force per unit area) and strain (deformation) in the elastic region of the material's behavior. When a tensile stress is applied to a material, it will deform, and Young's modulus provides a numerical value that represents how much it will stretch or compress for a given amount of stress.

This property is crucial in engineering and materials science because it helps engineers select materials based on their deformation characteristics under load. A high Young's modulus indicates that the material will exhibit less deformation under stress compared to a material with a lower Young's modulus. Understanding this property is essential for designing structures and components that can withstand tensile forces without undergoing excessive deformation.