History of Electrum. This gold-silver alloy has a long history of being used by humans. It was used for different purposes since third millennium BC. However, the variation in the gold and silver contents of this alloy made it difficult to decide the value of each coin.
To measure a material's ductility, the tester typically takes a measurement of the material's tensile strength. Tensile strength examines how far the material can stretch without breaking. This ability is similar to malleability, though they each have a slight difference. Instead of measuring tensile strength, or essentially how far the metal can stretch, malleability measures how much pressure a material can take without breaking or cracking.
The ultimate tensile strength of a material is calculated by dividing the area of the material tested (the cross section) by the stress placed on the material, generally expressed in terms of pounds or tons per square inch of material.he tensile strength of an alloy is most commonly measured by placing a test piece in the jaws of a tensile machine. The tensile machine applies stretching stress by gradually separating the jaws.