Editing Continuum mechanics (section)

{{Short description|Branch of physics which studies the behavior of materials modeled as continuous media}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=October 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Continuum mechanics}}

'''Continuum mechanics''' is a branch of [[mechanics]] that deals with the [[Deformation (physics)|deformation]] of and transmission of [[force]]s through [[material]]s modeled as a '''''continuous medium''''' (also called a '''''continuum''''') rather than as [[point particle|discrete particles]]. 

Continuum mechanics deals with ''deformable bodies'', as opposed to [[rigid bodies]]. 
A continuum model assumes that the substance of the object completely fills the space it occupies. While ignoring the fact that matter is made of [[atom]]s, this provides a sufficiently accurate description of matter on length scales much greater than that of inter-atomic distances. The concept of a continuous medium allows for intuitive analysis of bulk matter by using differential equations that describe the behavior of such matter according to [[Conservation laws|physical laws]], such as [[mass]] conservation, momentum conservation, and energy conservation. Information about the specific material is expressed in [[Constitutive equation|constitutive relationships]].

Continuum mechanics treats the physical properties of solids and fluids independently of any particular [[coordinate system]] in which they are observed. These properties are represented by [[tensor]]s, which are mathematical objects with the salient property of being independent of coordinate systems. This permits definition of physical properties at any point in the continuum, according to mathematically convenient [[continuous function]]s. The theories of [[elasticity (physics)|elasticity]], [[plasticity (physics)|plasticity]] and [[fluid mechanics]] are based on the concepts of continuum mechanics.