Final answer:
The question involves calculating the mechanical properties of articular cartilage under compressive and shearing forces, applying biomechanics and materials engineering concepts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question is related to mechanical testing of a cuboid specimen of human articular cartilage with an attached subchondral bone under the application of a compressive force and a shearing force. Since articular cartilage acts as a shock absorber and reduces friction at joint articulations, understanding its mechanical properties is crucial. The subject of this question falls under Engineering since it involves principles from biomechanics and materials engineering.
The information regarding types of cartilage, their properties, and their location in the human body is related to the biological function of cartilage but is supplemental to the engineering analysis being performed. Determination of shear deformation, given a shearing force and the physical dimensions of the cartilage specimen or a similar material, like a spinal disk, involves calculations using the shear modulus; this is an engineering problem that applies concepts from physics and materials science.