Fig. 1. Diagram illustrating two ways of modulating strain magnitude and bite force during the power stroke of a chewing cycle. (A) Strain profiles, modified to illustrate the hypotheses. (B) Triangles illustrating the variables measured in this study. Note that these triangles only describe strain profiles in loading (i.e. prior to peak strain). The dark lines and triangle are low-magnitude events, while the lighter (red) lines are higher-magnitude events. (Top) Magnitude can be increased by increasing loading time, while load rate is kept constant. (Bottom) Magnitude can be increased by increasing loading rate, while keeping loading duration constant. Combinations of these strategies are possible.