How would you define an alloy?

How would you define an alloy?

• A. An alloy is a polymer blend with metal fillers.
• B. An alloy is a pure metal with refined purity.
• C. An alloy is a mixture of two or more materials, at least one of which is a metal.
• D. An alloy is a ceramic compound formed from oxides.

Answer: (C)

An alloy is a substance formed by blending two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, to produce a material with properties that differ from its components. This idea is captured by describing an alloy as a mixture of two or more materials, with at least one metal involved. In metallurgy, common examples include steel (iron with carbon and other elements) and bronze (copper with tin), which show how combining elements changes strength, hardness, and corrosion resistance. The other descriptions aren’t right because they describe materials that aren’t metal–metal or metal–element blends: a polymer blend with metal fillers is a composite, not an alloy; a pure metal is not an alloy; and a ceramic oxide is an inorganic compound, not an alloy.

An alloy is a substance formed by blending two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, to produce a material with properties that differ from its components. This idea is captured by describing an alloy as a mixture of two or more materials, with at least one metal involved. In metallurgy, common examples include steel (iron with carbon and other elements) and bronze (copper with tin), which show how combining elements changes strength, hardness, and corrosion resistance.

The other descriptions aren’t right because they describe materials that aren’t metal–metal or metal–element blends: a polymer blend with metal fillers is a composite, not an alloy; a pure metal is not an alloy; and a ceramic oxide is an inorganic compound, not an alloy.