Well, let me tell ya somethin’ about steel. Is it metal or not? You bet your bottom dollar it is! It’s strong stuff, ya know, like the kinda thing they use to build them big ol’ skyscrapers in the city. Folks always talkin’ fancy ’bout this and that, but to me, it’s just plain ol’ strong metal.
What is Steel Anyway?
Steel ain’t somethin’ you find just lyin’ around, not like rocks or dirt. It’s made, see? They take iron and mix it with somethin’ called carbon. How much carbon they put in there decides how tough the steel is gonna be. More carbon, harder it is, simple as that. They call it an “alloy,” which is just a fancy word for a mix, if you ask me.
- Hardness: Now, this just means how hard somethin’ is, how much it can take before it gets all scratched up or dented. Steel is pretty darn hard, tougher than a lot of other stuff.
- Strong Like an Ox: Steel ain’t just hard, it’s strong too. You can put a lot of weight on it, pull on it real hard, and it won’t break easy. That’s why they use it for bridges and buildings.
- Shiny and Smooth: Most steel, when it’s new, it’s all shiny and smooth. Looks real nice, but that ain’t the main reason folks use it. They use it ’cause it’s strong, ya see?
Different Kinds of Steel
Now, just like there’s different kinds of apples, there’s different kinds of steel too. Some are tougher, some are easier to bend, some don’t rust so easy. They got these numbers and names for ’em, like A36, 4140, and that stainless stuff. Don’t ask me what the numbers mean, I ain’t no engineer! But I know the stainless stuff is good for pots and pans ‘cause it don’t get all rusty when you wash it.
They say there’s three main kinds, somethin’ called carbon steel, alloy steel, and stainless steel. Sounds complicated, but it ain’t really. Carbon steel is the basic stuff, alloy steel got other things mixed in to make it stronger or somethin’, and stainless steel, like I said, don’t rust so much. They use that stainless steel for all sorts of things, even them shiny tools the doctors use, imagine that!
How Can You Tell if It’s Steel?
Sometimes you gotta figure out what kind of metal somethin’ is, right? Well, if you got a magnet, that’s the first thing you should try. If the magnet sticks to it, chances are it’s steel. Or iron, which is kinda like steel’s cousin. Iron is the main thing in steel, see? So they act pretty much the same when it comes to a magnet.
Why Steel is So Useful
Steel is used everywhere, I tell ya, everywhere! From them big buildin’s downtown to the littlest screws in your eyeglasses, it’s all steel. Why? ‘Cause it’s strong and cheap. Not cheap like dirt, but cheaper than other metals that are just as strong. And they can make lots of it, that’s important too. If it was hard to make, we wouldn’t have all them fancy things we got today.
Metals and Non-metals
Now, folks talk about metals and non-metals, like they’re two different things altogether. And they are, mostly. Metals are usually shiny and strong, and they can bend without breakin’ too easy. Non-metals, well, they’re different. Sometimes they mix a metal with a non-metal to make somethin’ new, somethin’ better, maybe. But steel, it’s a metal, through and through.
Metals, they also good for carryin’ heat and electricity, that’s why your pots get hot on the stove and the wires in the wall bring the lights on. Non-metals, they ain’t usually like that. They got their own uses, but they ain’t like metals, no sir.
Steel Fascinates Folks
You know, some folks get real interested in steel. They study it, try to make it stronger, find new ways to use it. It’s got all sorts of properties, they say, fancy word for how it acts. It ain’t just plain ol’ metal to them, it’s somethin’ special. And I guess they’re right, seein’ as how much we use it for everythin’.
The Long and Short of It
So, if someone asks you if steel is a metal or non-metal, you tell ’em it’s metal, plain and simple. A good, strong metal that we use for just about everything. From the biggest things to the smallest, steel is there, makin’ our lives easier and safer. And that’s all there is to it, as far as I’m concerned.
