What term describes the ability of a material to resist scratching or abrasion?

The term that describes the ability of a material to resist scratching or abrasion is hardness. Hardness is a critical property that indicates how well a material can withstand wear and surface deformation when subjected to mechanical stress. Materials with high hardness values are capable of resisting scratches from other materials, which is essential in applications where durability and maintenance of surface integrity are important.

For instance, in engineering and manufacturing, harder materials are often chosen for tools, bearings, and other applications where friction or abrasion is likely to occur. Hardness is typically measured using various standardized tests, such as the Mohs hardness scale, Rockwell hardness test, or Vickers hardness test, all of which provide a quantitative measure of a material's ability to withstand wear.

In contrast, elasticity pertains to a material's ability to return to its original shape after being deformed, brittleness refers to a material's tendency to fracture or break without significant deformation, and toughness is the ability of a material to absorb energy and plastically deform without fracturing. While these properties are important in their own contexts, they do not specifically relate to a material’s resistance to scratching or abrasion as hardness does.