Question

Write any three differences between metals and non-metals with respect to their physical properties?

Answer 1

Hint: On the basis of physical properties , metals are classified as very hard except sodium while non metals are classified as soft except diamond. Metals are malleable and ductile whereas non metals are brittle and can break down into pieces. We will see more difference on the basis of their physical properties in the complete answer below.

Complete answer:
Let us learn the difference between metals and nonmetals on the basis of their physical properties. The differences are as follows as-

Metals	Nonmetals
Metals are very hard except for sodium.	Non metals are soft except for diamonds.
Metals are generally malleable and ductile.	Non metals are generally brittle and can break down into smaller pieces.
They are shiny and lustrous.	They are not shiny and are non lustrous except iodine.
They are electropositive in nature.	They are electronegative in nature.
Metals are good conductors of heat and electricity.	Non metals are generally bad conductors of heat and electricity except graphite.
They are used in machinery. Example: Copper, silver, gold etc.	They have medicinal and chemical uses. Example: carbon, oxygen, sulphur etc.

Note: Physical properties are those that can be observed without changing the identity of the substance. Some examples of physical properties are density , volume mass ,boiling point , melting point, colour ,etc. On the basis of physical properties , of metals and non-metals we classify them as lustrous, non - lustrous , hard, soft etc.