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| The metals are a group of chemical
elements that share two or more of the following characteristics: |
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- tough
- opaque
- ductile
- malleable
- fusible
- electrically and/or thermally
conductive.
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| They are separated into two groups
based on the quantity found in the Earth’s crust: |
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- the abundant
metals, which individually constitute more than 0.1% of the
Earth’s crust by weight; and
- the scarce
metals, which individually make up less than 0.1%.
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| Due to their useful properties, many
hundreds of millions of tons of metals are used every year in a wide range of
applications. In fact, without metals, technology has we know it today would not exist.
The knowledge of metals and how to use them have played, and continue to play, an
important role in societal development. |