A student examines a shiny gray sample that can be hammered flat into a thin sheet and that carries electric current easily. Where does the periodic table place this element?

A pale yellow solid looks dull, crumbles into powder when tapped with a hammer, and does not let current pass through a circuit. What class of the periodic table fits this sample?

Silicon is a shiny gray solid, but it snaps in two instead of bending, and it carries electric current only weakly. How does the periodic table classify silicon?

On a printed periodic table, a zigzag staircase line runs down the right-hand side of the main body. Which class of elements sits right along that staircase line?

A teacher points to an element in the far left columns of the periodic table, below hydrogen and well to the left of the staircase line. What does that position alone tell you about the element?

Mercury is a liquid at room temperature, has a shiny silver surface, and conducts electricity well. What class does the periodic table place mercury in?

Neodymium is one of the rare earth elements. Where are the rare earth elements usually printed on a classroom periodic table?

Two solid samples are pressed hard in a vise. Sample A bends into a new shape and stays in one piece. Sample B shatters into sharp pieces. What do these results suggest?

A student touches samples to the wires of a simple circuit. The bulb glows brightly for copper, glows dimly for germanium, and stays dark for sulfur. Which classification matches these results?

Iron, copper, and aluminum are all classified as metals. Which property do all three of them share?

At room temperature, oxygen, nitrogen, and helium are all colorless gases that do not conduct electricity. What class of the periodic table do these three elements belong to?

A student claims that every shiny sample must be a metal. Which test result would show that this rule can fail?

An unknown element is a dull, brittle solid that will not carry electric current. On a periodic table, where should a student look to find it?

Two shiny samples both bend without breaking and conduct electricity well. One has a density of 2.7 g/cm3 and the other 8.9 g/cm3. What can the class conclude?

A student bends a copper wire into a tight coil. The wire keeps its shine and still conducts electricity. What kind of change happened, and what class is copper now?

A silver spoon and a block of sulfur are set in hot water for one minute. The end of the spoon out of the water feels warm, while the top of the sulfur block barely warms at all. What does this comparison show?

Cerium and neodymium are rare earth elements. Which description of these two elements is accurate?

A student claims that metals are dull in appearance and crumble into pieces when they are hammered. Is this claim accurate?

Metalloids show some properties of metals and some properties of nonmetals.

Aluminum is used to build lightweight airplane parts, and copper is used for electrical wiring. Which shared property of metals makes both of them useful for these modern technology jobs?