The longitudinal stress required to break a prescribed specimen divided by the original cross-sectional area at the point of rupture is known as _____?

The correct answer is tensile strength, which is defined as the maximum amount of tensile (stretching or pulling) stress that a material can withstand before failure or rupture occurs. When a specimen is tested for tensile strength, the longitudinal stress applied to that specimen is measured and then divided by the original cross-sectional area at the point where it ultimately breaks. This ratio provides a quantitative measure of how strong the material is under tension.

Tensile strength is a critical property for materials used in applications where they need to bear loads that pull them apart. Understanding tensile strength helps engineers and designers to choose appropriate materials for structural applications, ensuring that they can perform safely and effectively under expected loads.

Other options refer to different types of material strength: compression strength measures resistance to axial loads pushing together, shear strength measures resistance to forces that cause sliding, and bending strength assesses suspension resistance when subjected to bending forces. Each of these has its own specific applications and is relevant in different contexts, but in this case, tensile strength is the specific term that directly relates to the question asked.