Silver

=__**Silver**__= __**by Hannah Hoyt**__



No one knows who discovered silver. It was one of the first five elements discovered along with gold, lead, copper and iron. Although rare, small nuggets of silver can be found in rivers and minerals, such as Galena. Large pieces of silver have been found too, for example, "pieces of native silver as big as stove lids and cannon balls" were found in Northern Canada. The atomic symbol is Ag. The atomic number is 47. The atomic weight is 107.868. Silver is slightly harder than gold. It is more pliable than any other element except gold. It can be hammered to 6/10,000 of a millimeter thin, which is thin enough for light to pass through and 150 times thinner than a piece of paper. One ounce of silver can be stretched through a thin wire 8,000 feet long. Silver can be used for jewelry, silverware (cleverly named that by using silver) and currency coins, and high value tableware. By Elizabeth Phillips