Question: what are the physical characteristics that distinguish metals from nonmetals?
Answer: Lustrous (shiny)
Good conductors of heat and electricity.
High melting point.
High density (heavy for their size)
Malleable (can be hammered)
Ductile (can be drawn into wires)
Usually solid at room temperature (an exception is mercury)
Opaque as a thin sheet (can't see through metals)