Which statement about tensile stress is true? A. Forces that act perpendicular to the surface and pull an object apart exert a tensile stress on the object. B. Forces that act perpendicular to the surface and squeeze an object exert a tensile stress on the object. C. Forces that act parallel to the surface exert a tensile stress on the object. D. Forces that decrease the length of the material exert a tensile stress on the object.

A. Forces that act perpendicular to the surface and pull an object apart exert a tensile stress on the object.

Explanation:

Tensile stress is due to tension forces on a material. Tensile force acts perpendicularly away from the surface of the substance. The pull on the material due to the tensile force exerts tensile stress on the material, that tends to pull the material apart. The magnitude of the tensile stress is given as

σ =

where σ is the tensile stress

P is the tensile force pulling the material apart

A is the cross-sectional area through which the tensile force acts perpendicularly.