The characteristic of a material breaking without significant deformation is known as?

The characteristic of a material breaking without significant deformation is termed brittleness. Brittleness refers to a material's tendency to fracture or break with little or no plastic deformation when subjected to stress. This means that when a brittle material is pushed beyond its limits, it will snap or shatter rather than bend or stretch.

In contrast, stiffness relates to a material's resistance to deformation when a load is applied, which does not necessarily imply a tendency to fracture. Toughness, on the other hand, refers to a material's ability to absorb energy and withstand deformation before breaking, highlighting a degree of flexibility and resilience. Hardness measures a material's resistance to surface deformation or scratching but does not directly correlate with its behavior under stress leading to fracture. Therefore, understanding these properties is crucial in the study of material science, particularly in applications where strength and durability are of paramount importance.