deforms

Deforms is the third-person singular present tense of the verb deform, meaning to change the shape, size, or arrangement of an object. The result of such a change is called a deformation. The term is used across disciplines to describe alterations produced by forces, temperature changes, growth, or other processes.

In physics and engineering, deformations arise when a body experiences external loads or environmental changes. Elastic deformation is reversible: the object returns to its original shape when the load is removed. Plastic deformation is permanent, leaving a lasting change in shape. The boundary between elastic and plastic behavior is often defined by the yield point. Deformation is quantified by strain, which measures relative displacement, and can be described mathematically by the deformation gradient, which maps original configurations to deformed ones. The relationship between stress and strain is central to characterizing materials, with Hooke’s law describing linear elastic behavior for many metals and polymers below the yield point. Residual deformations may persist after unloading due to plastic flow or microstructural changes.

In mathematics and geometry, deformations refer to continuous transformations that morph one object into another. A deformation can be parameterized by a variable that gradually changes the shape, while preserving certain properties, such as continuity or orientation in specific contexts. Deformation theory studies how mathematical structures, like manifolds or algebraic objects, vary in families under small perturbations.

Applications of the concept span computer graphics, where deformers modify mesh geometry; biology and geology, where tissue and crustal deformations occur under mechanical forces; and many areas of engineering and design that model and control shape changes.