Which term defines a material's ability to be hammered or rolled into thin sheets without rupturing?

Which term defines a material's ability to be hammered or rolled into thin sheets without rupturing?

• A. Stiffness
• B. Flexibility
• C. Toughness
• D. Malleability

Answer: (D)

Malleability describes a metal’s ability to undergo plastic deformation under compressive forces, such as hammering or rolling, without cracking. When you work metal into sheets, it must flow and rearrange its internal structure rather than fracture, and a malleable material can do this to form thin sheets like gold leaf. This is distinct from stiffness, which is about resisting deformation with a high modulus; toughness, which relates to how much energy a material can absorb before fracturing; and ductility, which is about drawing material out into wires under tension. The term that best matches the sheet-forming behavior described—hammering or rolling into thin sheets without rupture—is malleability.

Malleability describes a metal’s ability to undergo plastic deformation under compressive forces, such as hammering or rolling, without cracking. When you work metal into sheets, it must flow and rearrange its internal structure rather than fracture, and a malleable material can do this to form thin sheets like gold leaf. This is distinct from stiffness, which is about resisting deformation with a high modulus; toughness, which relates to how much energy a material can absorb before fracturing; and ductility, which is about drawing material out into wires under tension. The term that best matches the sheet-forming behavior described—hammering or rolling into thin sheets without rupture—is malleability.