material chemistry

(a) Define material hardness and name two testing method commonly used for microhardness test. (3 marks) (b) Differentiate between solid aluminium and solid alumina fracture mechanism. (4 marks) QUESTION 2 (a) Explain the strengths and the weaknesses of the usage of melamine tableware in terms of material and physical property. (4 marks) (b) Natural rubber can be processed to form synthetic rubber. (i) Explain the process of producing synthetic rubber from natural rubber. (3 marks) (ii) State one advantage of this process (1 mark) (c) Plain carbon steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. Identify three effects of increasing the amount of carbon content in the steel