The various parts of ISO 6721 specify methods for the determination of the dynamic mechanical properties of rigid plastics within the region of linear viscoelastic behaviour. This part of ISO 6721 is an introductory section which includes the definitions and all aspects that are common to the individual test methods described in the subsequent parts. Different deformation modes may produce results that are not directly comparable. For example, tensile vibration results in a stress which is uniform across the whole thickness of the specimen, whereas flexural measurements are influenced preferentially by the properties of the surface regions of the specimen. Values derived from flexural-test data will be comparable to those derived from tensile-test data only at strain levels where the stress-strain relationship is linear and for specimens which have a homogeneous structure.