The elastic models of gear tooth behavior are usually based on the hypothesis of uniform load distribution along the line of contact. The calculation methods of ISO and AGMA assume that the load per unit of length is equal to the total load divided by the length of contact. In this paper@ the load sharing along the line of contact is determined from the hypothesis of minimum elastic potential. From this nonuniform load distribution and Hertz's equation@ a method for determining both the value and the location of the critical contact stress is described.