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What is the difference between "tough" and "hard"? I would use these terms interchangeably.
by vorticalbox 5y ago
What is the difference between "tough" and "hard"? I would use these terms interchangeably.
- lordnacho 5y agoHard : doesn't deform easily Tough: doesn't break easily So a pane of glass is hard but not tough. Lump of clay is tough but not hard.
- pvg 5y agoThere's quite a maze of twisty definitions of these, all slightly different, both in applied and theoretical flavours: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardness https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardness (warning: clickholes)
- Etheryte 5y agoToughness is how much energy something can take without breaking, e.g. the more weight you can put on a tabletop before it breaks in half, the tougher it is. The opposite of tough is brittle, if that makes more sense. Hardness is how much energy something can take without deforming, e.g. playdoh is not hard.