Question

a chemist is trying to identify a sample of metal that is listed in this table. she passes an electrical current through the sample and finds that, of the metals listed in the table, its one of the best conductors. then she heats the metal to 1000°c, which is the highest temperature her heater allows. the metal doesnt melt. which type of metal does the chemist have?

material	melting point (°c)	electrical conductivity ranking
copper	1085	2
zinc	420	4
silver	962	1
nickel	1455	5

a. aluminum
b. copper
c. zinc
d. silver
e. nickel

Explanation:

Step1: Identify best - conductor

From the table, silver has the best electrical conductivity ranking (1).

Step2: Check melting - point condition

The metal didn't melt at 1000°C. Silver's melting point is 962°C which is less than 1000°C, but it still meets the non - melting condition among these options as others like copper (1085°C) and nickel (1455°C) have higher melting points and aluminum (660°C) and zinc (420°C) have lower melting points and are not the best conductors.

Answer:

D. silver