Final answer:
Materials resist internal stress by redistributing the force uniformly, resisting deformation due to the atomic lattice structure and internal restoring forces (a). Solids show elastic behavior up to a certain limit, and plastic deformation occurs when stress exceeds this limit, leading to irreversible changes in shape.
Step-by-step explanation:
Different materials resist internal stress created from forces exerted on them primarily by redistributing the force uniformly throughout the material. When stress is applied to a solid, its atoms, which are in close contact and arranged in a lattice structure, resist deformation. These atoms can be thought of as connected by spring-like forces that can be stretched or compressed but are not easily broken, which allows the solid to resist tensile, compressive, and shear stress. Under compressive stress, such as bulk stress, the volume of a material decreases, demonstrated by the relationship ΔV = -V0/BΔ, where ΔV is the change in volume, V0 is the original volume, and B is the bulk modulus.
In the case of plastic deformation, once the material is stretched beyond its elastic limit, it will not return to its original shape even after the force is removed. Different materials, such as ductile materials like metals or rubber-like materials, react to stress in varying ways depending on their microscopic mechanisms and internal restoring forces. For instance, rubber becomes more difficult to stretch as it nears its breaking point, whereas metals become easier to deform as they approach fracture.