Video Transcript
Which of the following properties
is not true for a metal? (A) Ductile, (B) good conductor of
heat, (C) lustrous, (D) malleable, (E) poor conductor of electricity.
Metals are one of the three broad
classifications that can be used to describe the 118 known elements. Each of the metal elements is
unique, but they all share some similar properties. To answer the question, we need to
determine which of the properties listed is not true for a metal. So let’s examine some of the
physical properties of metals.
All metal elements are solid at
room temperature, except for the element mercury, which is a liquid. Metals are lustrous or shiny when
clean and polished. Metals are malleable. “Malleable” means capable of being
extended or shaped by beating with a hammer or by the pressure of rollers. In other words, most metals can be
hammered into flat sheets or rolled into flat sheets.
Metals are also ductile. “Ductile” means capable of being
drawn or pulled into a wire or thread. For example, copper metal can be
pulled into wires. We often use copper in electrical
wires. This is because metals are good
electrical conductors, which means that electrical current or electricity can pass
through them easily.
Metals are also good conductors of
thermal energy, which we feel as heat. This is why we make pots and pans
out of metals, because the heat from the stove can easily be transferred to the food
in the pot.
Being ductile, a good conductor of
heat, lustrous, and malleable are all properties of a metal. But metals are good conductors of
electricity. So answer choice (E) is not true
for a metal. Therefore, the property that is not
true for a metal is answer choice (E), poor conductor of electricity.
