Germanium is in YOUR computer

Germanium has similar properties to silicon making it a semi conductor. A semi conductor is a solid substance that has a conductivity between that of an insulator and that of most metals, either due to the addition of an impurity or because of temperature effects. Germanium is used to make transistors for use in electronic devices. Transistors are used to amplify and change the flow of electrical currents. Germanium, being a metalloid, has very interesting properties. A metalloid is a chemical element with properties in between, or that are a mixture of, those of metals and nonmetals. These properties make all metalloids the best of both worlds, and allows them to be semiconductors. These properties are the foundations for computers today.