Glossary

Alloy                Two or more metals mixed together to make a stronger or more useful material. May also be a metal or metals with a nonmetal.

Chemical      Any material that is used in a compound to make it look or act in a certain way.

Compound   A mixture of elements.

Conducts      When a material allows heat or electricity to go through it easily.

Corrode         When a metal changes and gets weaker because it touches water, air or chemicals. Rust is one kind of corrosion.

Deposit          A large amount of one mineral found in one area.

Ductile            Can be hammered or stretched into a very thin wire

Element          One of the simple materials the earth is made of.

Malleable       Can be hammered, pressed, formed or bent into many shapes.

Molecule        One of the many tiny parts that make up an object. One molecule by itself is too small to see without an electron microscope.

Ore                  Rock that contains enough of an important mineral to make it work taking out of the ground.

Reflects          When heat, light or sound bounces off a surface instead of going through it. 

Resistant       Does not allow something to happen to it easily, such as heat or corrosion.

Tarnish           When a metal becomes dull or darkened but is still strong.