Silicon
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Silicon is element 14 on the periodic table. Its symbol is Si.
Silicon looks like a metal, but does not do everything a metal does, like conduct electricity very easily. It is a metalloid. Silicon is used a great deal in today's computers.
There is a lot of silicon on the Earth. Whenever you go to the beach, you see silicon in the form of sand. Sand is a compound of silicon known as silicon dioxide or silica. When you heat sand (or silicon dioxide) hot enough, you can make glass. Glass is also made of silicon dioxide. The glass can have different colors by adding colored compounds. Silicon also makes up a lot of different rocks and minerals, and they are known as silicates.
