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Tension vs Traction - What's the difference?

tension | traction |

As nouns the difference between tension and traction

is that tension is condition of being held in a state between two or more forces, which are acting in opposition to each other while traction is the act of pulling something along a surface using motive power.

As verbs the difference between tension and traction

is that tension is to place an object in tension, to pull or place strain on while traction is {{cx|medicine|transitive|lang=en}} To apply a sustained pull to (a limb, etc.).

tension

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • Condition of being held in a state between two or more forces, which are acting in opposition to each other
  • Psychological state of being tense.
  • (physics, engineering) State of an elastic object which is stretched in a way which increases its length.
  • (physics, engineering) Force transmitted through a rope, string, cable, or similar object (used with prepositions on'', ''in'', or ''of , e.g., "The tension in the cable is 1000 N", to convey that the same magnitude of force applies to objects attached to both ends).
  • (physics, engineering) Voltage. Usually only the terms low tension, high tension, and extra-high tension, and the abbreviations LT, HT, and EHT are used. They are not precisely defined; LT is normally a few volts, HT a few hundreds of volts, and EHT thousands of volts.
  • Verb

  • To place an object in tension, to pull or place strain on.
  • We tensioned the cable until it snapped.

    Anagrams

    * ----

    traction

    English

    (traction)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • the act of pulling something along a surface using motive power
  • the condition of being so pulled
  • Grip
  • the pulling power of an engine or animal
  • the adhesive friction of a wheel etc on a surface
  • (medicine) a mechanically applied sustained pull, especially to a limb
  • (business) the extent of adoption of a new product or service, typically measured in number of customers or level of revenue achieved
  • (politics) popular support
  • Derived terms

    * subtraction * traction engine * tractive

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To apply a sustained pull to (a limb, etc.).