10 uses of metals in our daily life

The development of the metallurgical industry leads to the production of a variety of metal alloys which give us a large number of important and necessary items. There are a lot of examples of metals in our daily life, but we selected the 10 most important ones, in our opinion.

What is metal?

The role of metals in the development and formation of the technical culture of humanity is exceptionally high. Because of its hardness, metal has become an indispensable material for the manufacture of tools and all kinds of production. Such historically formed names as Bronze Age and Iron Age speak of the strong influence of metals and their alloys on all spheres of human life.

In our daily practice, we come across metals every minute. As you read this article on your phone or computer, electricity is moving along metal wires. We can also see hundreds of cars, planes, steel bridges and so on. Metals are everywhere.

Uses of metals in our life

1. Metal coins. Metal coins have played a big role in the development of human society and trade relations between nations, and subsequently, countries. There are gold and silver coins.

2. The second example of metals used in our daily life is electrotechnical materials. Metals are used both as good conductors of electricity (copper, aluminum) and as materials with increased resistance and electric heating elements.

3. Uses of metals and nonmetals in tool making. Even the regular hammer and nails are metal tools.

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4. We can't imagine our daily life without spoons and forks made of stainless steel. Metals can be found in our homes. We continue to find interesting and unusual decorative items and even furniture made in metal forging style.

5. Uses of metal in medicine. If you look at a surgeon's table, you will see a lot of metal tools on it. Modern medicine actively applies various instruments and of course, metal is widely used to make them.

6. Computers and phones. It is already difficult to imagine our life without these devices. There are very different metal alloys present in all of them.

7. Automotive, aviation, railway transport - all those kinds of transport are made almost entirely of metals. The transport industry is developing, new railways are being laid and more cars are on the roads.

8. Jewelry. Do not forget about all those beautiful jewelry that adorns a lot of people. How many times a day do you look at your wristwatch? This is also made with some form or alloy metal.

9. Building. No modern house can be built without a wide application of various metal parts. Reinforcement, bolts, metal fasteners - all those are important elements of the modern construction process.

10. Modern art actively uses metal. A huge number of monuments around the world is made of bronze and other alloys.

So we can now see how extensive metals are in our daily life. Metal has become an essential material in the modern world.

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Source: Legit.ng

Metalloids have properties in between those of the metals and non-metals and are semiconductors (whereas metals are conductors and nonmetals are not conductors) and used extensively in circuitry (like computer chips).

They are all solids at room temperature, not quite as malleable as metals....but not quite as brittle as nonmetals. They can be shiny (have luster) or not whereas all metal are shiny.

Although we typically think of there being a very black and white distinction between shiny, conductive metals and brittle, non-conductive (or even non-solid) non-metals in reall life there is not always such a sharp distinction. As you move from left to right across a row on the Periodic Table, elements gradually become more non-metallic in their properties. The staircase serves to indicate a cut-off point where the non-metallic properties are greater than the metallic properties. Metalloids are simply in the gray area betwen metals and non-metals.

Here is a picture of some typical metals.

And here is a picture of sulfur, a typical nonmetal.