Construction inflation. Building costs throughout 2011 rose steadily and although theyâre expected to stabilise during 2012 inflationary pressures are nevertheless set to remain as labour wage strains and competitive labour forces continue to affect input costs.
Physical Properties. Metals differ so widely in hardness, ductility (the potentiality of being drawn into wire), malleability, tensile strength, density, and melting point that a definite line of distinction between them and the nonmetals cannot be drawn. The hardest elemental metal is chromium; the softest, cesium.
Lesson 3. Metals, Nonmetals, and Metalloids. Of all the elements, about 75% are classified as metals. Metals share a common set of properties. A shiny surface is one of the easiest ways to identify a metal. Malleability is the ability to be bent, flattened, or hammered without breaking. Ductility is the ability to be pulled into thin wires without breaking. Corrosion is when metals combine with nonmetals from the environment. A semiconductor is a material that has properties in between conductors and insulators.