Question

Explain a simple experiment to show that metals are malleable but non metals are brittle......​

Answer 1

Things needed: Small pieces of aluminium, copper, iron, coal, a pencil lead, sulphur, a block of iron and a hammer.

Method:

1.Take a piece of aluminium metal, place it on a block of iron and beat it with a hammer (you must take care that you do not hurt your fingers while hammering).

2.Similarly, hammer the other given substances and observe.

Observations:

1. You find that the piece of aluminium metal turns into a thin aluminium sheet without breaking at all.

2. Similarly, you observe that copper and iron get flattened due to hammering and turn into thin sheets without breaking.

3. However, the coal piece, pencil lead and sulphur piece break into smaller pieces and form powder, when beaten with a hammer.

Conclusion: Metals like aluminium, copper and iron are malleable whereas non-metals like coal, pencil lead (both are forms of carbon) and sulphur are brittle.