Which term describes a metal's capacity to deform plastically before fracturing?

Which term describes a metal's capacity to deform plastically before fracturing?

• A. Elastic
• B. Plastic
• C. Brittle
• D. Ultimate

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how much permanent, shape-changing deformation a metal can undergo before it breaks. That ability is described by how ductile the metal is, meaning how much plastic deformation it can experience before fracturing. Among the given terms, Plastic best conveys this behavior because it refers to plastic deformation—deformation that remains after the load is removed. Elastic deformation would recover when the load is removed, so it doesn’t involve permanent change. Brittle materials fracture with little or no plastic deformation, so they don’t exhibit this capacity. Ultimate usually points to the maximum stress the material can bear, not how much it deforms before failure. So Plastic is the closest fit to describing a metal’s capacity to deform plastically before fracturing.

The main idea here is how much permanent, shape-changing deformation a metal can undergo before it breaks. That ability is described by how ductile the metal is, meaning how much plastic deformation it can experience before fracturing. Among the given terms, Plastic best conveys this behavior because it refers to plastic deformation—deformation that remains after the load is removed. Elastic deformation would recover when the load is removed, so it doesn’t involve permanent change. Brittle materials fracture with little or no plastic deformation, so they don’t exhibit this capacity. Ultimate usually points to the maximum stress the material can bear, not how much it deforms before failure. So Plastic is the closest fit to describing a metal’s capacity to deform plastically before fracturing.