The Solid State Main Distinctive Properties

The properties of fhe solid state may be approached from different points of view. Properties of solids in large pieces differ from properties of particulate solids. The most important properties of pieces of solids include density, hardness, fragility, and tenacity (Brown, 2005). The density is defined as the mass by volume unit, while the hardness measures the resistance of the solids to be scratched. A solid hardness scale was proposed by Mohs (Brown, 2005) and can be listed as follows  

In the above scale, each mineral scratches the previous. It is used to make reference to fhis charf to evaluate the hardness of some ofher known materials. For example, the hardness of ordinary glass is 5.8. The fragility is a property represenhng how easy a substance may be crumbled or broken by impact. It does not necessarily have a direct relation with hardness. Gypsum, for insfance, is soff buf nof fragile. Finally, fhe tenacity is known as the property the metals and alloys present to resist collisions. 

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