Final answer:
Gold is highly malleable and is favored for making coins and jewelry, often symbolizing wealth. Copper alloys such as bronze and brass are also used in coinage, while sterling silver is used for jewelry. Metals are chosen for these applications due to their malleability and ductility.
Step-by-step explanation:
One well-known metal that can be formed into coins and jewelry is gold, which is known for its malleability. Gold has been used for jewelry since ancient times because of its high value, lustrous appearance, softness, and ease of shaping. Gold also frequently symbolizes wealth. Coins made of copper and its alloys, like bronze (copper and tin) and brass (copper and zinc), are also commonly used in addition to gold. While brass and other copper alloys, such as cupronickel (copper and nickel), have become common for modern coinage, bronze has a greater historical significance, particularly during the Bronze Age. Coins and jewelry made of sterling silver, an additional alloy primarily composed of silver mixed with copper, are highly prized.
In general, metals have qualities that make them useful for making a wide variety of useful products. They can be pulled into wires because they have ductility in addition to malleability. These characteristics result from the free-moving electrons in metallic bonds, which let atoms pass one another without shattering the lattice structure.