Mental metal mayhem Metals are collections of atoms arranged in an orderly crystalline lattice with one or more free electrons. This arrangement allows the outermost electrons to move freely from atom to atom. If the atoms were stuck rigidly in place, electrons could travel from atom to atom without much interruption. However, the quantum world is awash with wiggles, waggles, and wonder. Unless an object’s temperature is absolute zero, atoms are never completely still -- they translate, rotate, and vibrate. The macroscopic products of this microscopic movement is the basis for study of thermodynamics.
Metals are orderly collections of atoms that are able to easily share their outermost electron(s) with neighboring atoms.
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