The property that describes resisting wear or scratching is which?

• A. Strength
• B. Hardness
• C. Ductility
• D. Conductivity

Answer: (B)

Hardness is the property that describes resistance to wear or scratching. It measures how difficult it is to cause plastic deformation on a material’s surface, such as scratches or dents, when contacted by another object. A harder material resists these surface damages better, which is why materials like diamond and tungsten carbide are used for cutting tools and wear surfaces. Strength refers to how much load a material can bear before failing, not how easily its surface is scratched. Ductility describes how much a material can deform plastically before breaking, not surface hardness. Conductivity is about how well electrons move through a material, unrelated to wear resistance. So, the ability to resist wear or scratching is captured by hardness.