Page 80 - MATERIAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PART 1

Have you ever wondered?

1. Why do you study the atomic

structure and inter-atomic

bonding?

An important reason to have an understanding of

inter-atomic bonding in solids is the type of bond

allows us to explain a material's properties. For

example, consider carbon, which may exist as

graphite and diamond. Whereas graphite is

relatively soft and has a "greasy" feel, diamond is

the hardest known material. This dramatic

disparity in properties is directly attributable to a

type of inter-atomic bonding found in graphite

that does not exist in diamonds.
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Politeknik Ibrahim Sultan