Strain is the amount of deformation of a body due to an applied force.

More specifically, strain (ε) is

defined as the fractional change in length, as shown in Figure 1 below.

FIGURE (a)
The gauge factor, which is a quantitative expression of the gauge's sensitivity to strain, is a basic
characteristic of the strain gauge (GF). According to the definition, gauge factor is the ratio of the
fractional change in electrical resistance to the fractional change in length (strain). Mathematically, it is
expressed as,

Where,
∆R/R is the resistance change per unit of change in resistance.
∆L/L is Length change per unit of length
∆L = Change in length
∆R = Change in resistance.