A continuum model assumes that the substance of the object fills the space it occupies. Modeling objects in this way ignores the fact that matter is made of atoms, and so is not continuous; however, on length scales much

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Space separates molecules that make up solids, liquids, and gases. Materials have cracks and discontinuities on a microscopic level. Physical phenomena can, however, be modeled

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Consider car traffic on a highway, with just one lane for simplicity. Somewhat surprisingly, and in a tribute to its effectiveness, continuum mechanics effectively models the

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Continuum mechanics models begin by assigning a region in three-dimensional Euclidean space to the material body being modeled. The points within this region are called particles or material points. Different configurations or states of the body correspond to

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A change in the configuration of a continuum body results in a displacement. The displacement of a body has two components: a rigid-body

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Continuum mechanics deals with the behavior of materials that can be approximated as continuous for certain length and time scales.

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Continuum mechanics deals with deformable bodies, as opposed to rigid bodies. A solid is a deformable body that possesses shear strength, sc. a solid can support shear forces (forces parallel to the material surface on which they act). Fluids, on the other hand, do not

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