Metals vs Non-Metals
Compare the physical and chemical properties of metals and non-metals, explaining metallic properties (malleability, lustre, conductivity) and how position in the periodic table predicts reactivity
What a learner can do afterwards
- Lists physical properties typical of metals (shiny, malleable, good conductor) and non-metals
- Explains why metals are used in wires, cookware, and construction based on their properties
- Uses the periodic table to predict whether an element is likely to be reactive or unreactive
- Explains what lustre and malleability mean in terms of real-world observations
The lesson
Look at a substance. Is it shiny and bendy, or dull and easy to snap? That tells you if it is a metal or a non-metal. Metals are usually shiny (this shine is called lustre), malleable (they bend into new shapes without breaking), and good conductors of heat and electricity. Non-metals are often dull, brittle (they crack instead of bending), and poor conductors, though there are exceptions.
A copper wire bends around a corner and still carries electricity to a lamp. An aluminium pot spreads heat evenly across its base. A steel beam holds up a building without snapping. Each job picks a metal because of its malleability and conductivity.
Check the periodic table to guess reactivity. Metals near the bottom left, like sodium and potassium, react fast and can even fizz in water. Non-metals near the top right react fast too, except the noble gases in the very last column, which barely react with anything.
Shiny, bendy, and a good conductor points to a metal; dull, brittle, and a poor conductor points to a non-metal, and the periodic table hints at how reactive each one will be.
Watch it
Where it sits
Learn first
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.