What does Hooke's Law determine regarding the relationship of a body?

Hooke's Law establishes a fundamental relationship in elasticity that connects stress and strain for materials. According to Hooke's Law, the amount of deformation (strain) experienced by a material is directly proportional to the applied stress, provided the material remains within its elastic limit. This relationship is mathematically expressed as stress = modulus of elasticity × strain.

The reason this response aligns with the question is that stress refers to the internal forces distributed over an area, while strain evaluates how much a material deforms in relation to its original dimensions. This law is significant in engineering and material science because it allows engineers to predict how materials will behave under different loads, ensuring safety and structural integrity in design.

The other options do not directly define the relationship that Hooke's Law portrays. The first option addresses the physical area related to load but doesn't capture the core elasticity principle. The second option mentions a change in length compared to the original length but lacks specificity about the linear relationship based on stress and strain. The fourth option, discussing unit stress, describes a specific measurement but does not encompass the fundamental elastic behavior defined by Hooke's Law. Thus, option C is the most appropriate choice that correctly identifies the essence of Hooke's Law.