In mechanical deformation, the action "to bend under compression" is described by which English verb?

• A. To Bend
• B. To Buckle
• C. To Snap
• D. To Stretch

Answer: (B)

When a slender member is subjected to compressive load, it can stay straight up to a critical point, but beyond that the straight configuration becomes unstable and the member deflects sideways into a curved shape. That instability-driven deformation is called buckling. It captures the idea that the structure loses stiffness under compression and suddenly assumes a bent form, often starting from small imperfections. The other verbs don’t fit this scenario as well: bending is a general curvature under load, but buckling specifies the instability under compression leading to a lateral deflection; snapping suggests fracture, not instability-induced bending; and stretching implies elongation under tension, not compression. So the correct term is buckling.