I've always wondered: just how hard are diamonds? What would happen if I hammere... | Hacker News

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		sam_in_nyc on Feb 13, 2009 \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: Scientists Discover Material Harder Than Diamond I've always wondered: just how hard are diamonds? What would happen if I hammered one? Are they so strong as to become lodged into the head of the hammer, or the surface beneath the diamond? Are they that hard?

wmf on Feb 13, 2009 [–]

What would happen if I hammered one?

AFAIK it would shatter because diamond is very brittle. Hardness != strength.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardness

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressive_strength

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