What are Metals?

Metals are opaque, lustrous elements that are good conductors of heat and electricity. Most metals are malleable and ductile and are, in general, denser than the other elemental substances.

What are some applications of metals?

Metals are used in:

• Transportation -- Cars, buses, trucks, trains, ships, and airplanes.
• Aerospace -- Unmanned and manned rockets and the space shuttle.
• Computers and other electronic devices that require conductors (TV, radio, stereo, calculators, security devices, etc.)
• Communications including satellites that depend on a tough but light metal shell.
• Food processing and preservation -- Microwave and conventional ovens and refrigerators and freezers.
• Construction -- Nails in conventional lumber construction and structural steel inother buildings.
• Biomedical applications -- As artificial replacement for joints and other prostheses.
• Electrical power production and distribution -- Boilers, turbines, generators, transformers, power lines, nuclear reactors, oil wells, and pipelines.
• Farming -- Tractors, combines, planters, etc.
• Household conveniences -- Ovens, dish and clothes washers, vacuum cleaners, blenders, pumps, lawn mowers and trimmers, plumbing, water heaters, heating/cooling, etc.