Tensile strain is a measure of how much a material deforms when it is stretched. It is defined as the change in length of the material divided by its original length. This concept is important in fields like engineering and materials science, where understanding how materials behave under stress is crucial for designing safe structures. When a material experiences tensile strain, it can lead to elongation or stretching. If the strain exceeds a certain limit, known as the elastic limit, the material may undergo permanent deformation or even break. Engineers must consider tensile strain to ensure that materials can withstand the forces they encounter in real-world applications.