Shear

Figure 1, taken from reference [1]

To shear something is to cause a shear strain, by application of a shear stress. Recall that the shear stress σ is given by the applied force F over the area A, namely

<math>\sigma = \frac{F}{A}</math> ,

and the shear strain e is given by

<math>e = \frac{\Delta x}{y}</math> .

See Figure 1 for clarification.

References

[1] R. Jones, "Soft Condensed Matter," Oxford University Press Inc., New York (2002)

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shearing_%28physics%29