Malleability is defined as:

Malleability is defined as:

• A. The internal voids in a material.
• B. The ability of a metal to exhibit large deformation of plastic response when subjected to compressive force.
• C. The regular three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in a metal lattice.
• D. The measure of the acidity of a solution.

Answer: (B)

Malleability describes a metal’s ability to undergo plastic deformation under compressive stress to form a new shape, typically a thin sheet, without cracking. This means you can hammer or roll a malleable metal into sheets and it will bend and flow rather than fracture. The essence is permanent, large deformation under compression, which is why metals like gold and lead can be shaped so easily. In contrast, the other descriptions point to porosity (voids), crystal structure (regular atomic arrangement), or solution acidity (pH), which are unrelated to malleability.

Malleability describes a metal’s ability to undergo plastic deformation under compressive stress to form a new shape, typically a thin sheet, without cracking. This means you can hammer or roll a malleable metal into sheets and it will bend and flow rather than fracture. The essence is permanent, large deformation under compression, which is why metals like gold and lead can be shaped so easily. In contrast, the other descriptions point to porosity (voids), crystal structure (regular atomic arrangement), or solution acidity (pH), which are unrelated to malleability.