Final answer:
Not all solid objects bend when a contact force is applied; it depends on the force's strength and the object's material properties. A force that is strong enough to surpass the material's elasticity will cause deformation, following Hooke's law until the elastic limit.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is whether all solid objects bend when a contact force is applied to them. The claim I will discuss is Option 3: Yes, but only if the force is strong enough to cause deformation.
Evidence that supports this claim can be found in our understanding of the physical characteristics of materials. Every material has a limit to how much force it can withstand before it starts to deform. This is known as the elastic limit. Beyond this limit, if the force continues to increase, the object will undergo plastic deformation and will not return to its original shape once the force is removed.
Reasoning behind this includes the concepts of elasticity and plasticity. Materials that are elastic will return to their original shape after the deforming force is removed, while plastic materials will not. Hooke's law is also pertinent; it relates the force applied to an object to its elastic deformation (F = KAL), but this law only holds up to the elastic limit of the material.