Question

How do you determine if an element is metal or non-metal?

Answer 1

Answer: If the outermost shell has 1–4 electrons, it is a metal.

If the outermost shell has 5–7 electrons, it is a non-metal.

Answer 2

Metal elements have 1,2,3 or 4 electrons in the outer most shell while non metals have 5,6 or 7 electrons.
Example - Carbon
atomic number - 6
electron configuration - 2,4
Meaning it has 4 electrons in its outer most shell which makes it a METAL.