David Ira Maguel, age 10, of Brooklyn, for his question:

What is platinum?

Platinum is one of the glamour metals used to make setting for fine gems. It is also a durable hard‑working metal playing a sturdy role in industry. Its name comes from the Spanish, platinum means little silver, no doubt because it looks like silver. Sometimes it associates with silver in the earth. We also find it along with gold, nickel or copper. In nature’s precious platinum comes in flakes, small, grains or sizeable nuggets.

Imagine a box one foot long, one foot high and one foot wide. Filled with coal, the box would tip the scales at about 80 pounds. Filled with silvery platinum, it would weigh over 1,000 pounds. Platinum is one of the heaviest of metals. Even so, it is easy to work. It can be drawn into a thread as fine as silk.

Platinum melts at the high temperature of 3,190 degrees Fahrenheit. It refuses to rust and most acids cannot hurt it. These qualities make this glamorous metal very useful in industry.