You are given a hammer. a battery, a bulb, wires and a switch.
(a) How could you use them to distinguish between samples of metals and non-metals?
(b) Assess the usefulness of these tests in distinguishing between metals and non-metals.
Answers
(a) If the substance can be hammered to convert into sheets then it is metal if it is broken into pieces then it is non-metal. Set up the arrangement using bulb, battery, wire and switch as shown in figure. Place the substance between Point A and B if the bulb starts glowing then the substance is a Metal otherwise it is non-metal because metals are good conductor of electricity.
(b) Generally above methods can be used to identify metals and non-metals. But there are some exceptions also for example Sodium is metal which is not malleable in fact it is brittle. Graphite allotrope of non-metal carbon is a good conductor of electricity.
We have been given a question and we need to answer it appropriately.
The question given to us is that if we are given a hammer. a battery, a bulb, wires and a switch, how can we differentiate between metal and non-metal.
A) Beat the substances with the hammer, if the substance gets beaten into sheets it is a metal. If it gets broken into pieces it is a non-metal.
B) It is a good test to test for metals and non-metals but like for example sodium, is a metal but is brittle, is an exception.