When we make graphs, we usually plot the independent variable (the thing that we are changing) on the X axis and the dependent variable (the thing that responds to that change) on the Y axis. Typically for stress strain curves, stress is plotted on the Y axis and strain is plotted on the X axis. This makes sense for engineers as they often test materials by applying particular strains (length changes) and determine how much stress results. But as biologists, we often want to do the reverse, apply different stresses and see what the resulting strain is. Why are stress strain curves somewhat confusing when we think about them this way