Metals are generally shiny, malleable, and
hard. Metals are also good conductors of electricity. Examples of metals
are Gold, Silver, Iron, Uranium, and Zinc. Non-metals do not conduct heat or electricity
very well. Non-metals are typically brittle and are not easily molded
into shapes. Example non-metal elements are Hydrogen and Carbon. Metalloids share characteristics of both metals
and non-metals and are also called semimetals. Metalloids are typically
semi-conductors, which means that they both insulate and conduct
electricity. This semi-conducting property makes Metalloids very useful
as a computer chip material. Examples of metalloid elements are Silicon
and Boron.
