 Rheology is concerned with the flow and deformation of materials experiencing

an applied force.
 For ideal viscous materials, the rate of deformation is in proportion to the force
applied.
 This behaviour is typical of simple liquids such as water.

 A thixotropic material becomes more fluid with increasing time of applied force
(work softening).
 A rheopectic material becomes more viscous with increasing time of applied force
(work hardening).
  A dilatant material resists deformation more than in proportion to the applied
force.
 For example, the more effort you put into stirring a dilatant material, the more
resistant it becomes to stirring.
 A thick slurry of wet beach sand is often dilatant.

 PLASTIC materials initially resist deformation, until a yield stress is reached.

 PSEUDOPLASTIC materials exhibit shear thinning without the initial resistance
to deformation.