Ductility
A material property describing a substance's ability to undergo large plastic (permanent) deformations without breaking. Ductile materials can be drawn into wires or bent without snapping. Metals like copper and aluminium are ductile; ceramics and glasses are not.
Real World
Copper wiring in household electrics is ductile: engineers at Dyson can draw it into thin filaments without it snapping, whereas a brittle material like glass would shatter at the same stage.
Exam Focus
Describe ductility in terms of a large plastic region on a stress-strain graph; avoid vague phrases like 'stretches a lot' without linking to permanent deformation.
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