Correct choice is (b) k^e
To explain: Stiffness is the rigidity of an object, the extent to which it resists deformation in response to an applied force. The complementary concept is flexibility or pliability: the more flexible an object is the less stiff it is. A stiff equation is a differential equation for which certain numerical methods for solving the equation are numerically unstable, unless the step size is taken to be extremely small.