The lecture describes the objectives of the learning module and provides the necessary background for the activities. We briefly discuss the following topics:

• mechanical response of macroscopic polycrystalline metals during tensile tests
• molecular dynamics simulations of materials
• mechanical response of nanoscale, defect-free samples

This lecture is part of the learning module Atomic Picture of Plastic Deformation in Metals.

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

• Alejandro Strachan (2010), "Atomic Picture of Plastic Deformation in Metals: Overview Lecture," https://nanohub.org/resources/8038.

1. material science
2. molecular dynamics
3. plastic deformation