re: #316 goddamnedfrank
Ignoring gels, liquids can’t support shear forces at all. Solids, even amorphous ones like glass, can within their elastic limit. Beyond that limit they permanently deform, flow like a liquid, or crack/shatter.
At low frequencies, you are right. Typical liquids won’t support any significant shear forces. But distinctions between solids and liquids are somewhat subjective, depending on levels of force applied, and the timescales in which they are applied. (For the layman, Gallagher demonstrates familar solids splattering.) At sufficiently high frequencies, some liquids may seem to be more “solid-like” and can support shear forces too, if I remember correctly.