What are brittle materials?

Brittle materials are things that break easily when you push or pull on them.

Imagine you have a piece of glass, like the window in your house. If you drop a rock on it, poof, it cracks and breaks into pieces. That’s what happens with brittle materials. They don’t bend or stretch much before they break; instead, they snap suddenly.

Think of an eggshell. It feels strong when you hold it in your hand, but if you squeeze it too hard, crack, it breaks into pieces. That’s because the eggshell is also a brittle material. It doesn’t give way slowly; it just gives way all at once.

If you’ve ever played with Play-Doh, you know it stretches and squishes when you push on it, that’s not brittle at all. Brittle materials are more like glass or eggshells: they break quickly, without stretching much first.