Physical Properties of Metals and Non-metals

This experiment aims to compare the physical properties of metals and non-metals.

Apparatus Required

The apparatus required for this experiment are:

Copper rod
Copper solid
Aluminium rod
Aluminium solid
Coal
Sulphur
Hammer
Clamp stand
Burner
Circuit board
Sandpaper
Spoon
Knife
Wax

Experiment Procedure

The procedure followed for this experiment will be:

Take a sample of aluminium, copper, sulphur and iodine and cut them using a knife. Observe the hardness of the material when you try to cut them.
Take these samples, beat them with a hammer and observe which of these break into smaller pieces and which of them can be flattened.
Using a clamp stand with a metallic holder, hold the copper and aluminium rods one after the other, and add some wax at the free end. Heat each rod at the other end using a burner, and observe if the wax melts or not.
Place one sample at a time on the space provided in the circuit board and observe the bulb glowing.
Take one sample at a time and strike it with a metal spoon to check for the production of a ringing sound.
Take sandpaper and polish the surface of the samples one by one and observe if their appearance changes.

Therefore, it can be concluded that,

We have studied the properties of hardness, where a knife was used to cut the samples. Metals (copper, aluminium) are hard, whereas non-metals (coal, sulphur) break into pieces and are brittle.

With the physical property of malleability, metals (copper, aluminium) can be beaten into sheets, whereas non-metals (coal, sulphur) cannot be beaten into sheets.

With the physical property of sonority, metals (copper, aluminium) produce a ringing sound, whereas non-metals (coal, sulphur) do not.

With the physical property of lustre, metals (copper, aluminium) have a shiny surface, and non-metals (coal, sulphur) have a dull surface.

Regarding the physical properties of thermal and electrical conductivity, metals (copper, aluminium) are good conductors, whereas non-metals (coal, sulphur) are poor conductors.

Hence, copper and aluminium are classified as metals, and coal and sulphur are classified as non-metals.