Video Transcript
Which property of a metal allows it
to be hammered or rolled into thin sheets?
In order to answer this question,
let’s look at what happens when a metal is hammered or rolled into thin sheets. This property results from the
structure of metals, which we can better understand by thinking about metals at the
atomic level. Because of their lattice structure,
metals can be hammered or rolled into desired shapes. The layers of atoms in a metal are
able to slide over each other. This is only one of the many
important properties of metals.
Metals often have high ductility,
which is the ability to be drawn into a wire. Metals are also very conductive,
which means they are able to conduct heat and electricity. Due to their structure, metals also
generally have very high melting and boiling points. This makes them extremely useful
materials to manufacture items that must withstand high temperatures. Metals are often very strong as
well. The property that has to do with
the sliding of atoms, however, is malleability.
Malleability is the ability of a
substance to be hammered or pressed into different shapes and thin sheets without
breaking or cracking. Because of metals’ high
malleability, they are extremely useful to us and are used in countless ways.
Therefore, the property of a metal
that allows it to be hammered or rolled into thin sheets is malleability.
