Tungsten, also known as wolfram, is a chemical element with symbol W and atomic number 74. The word tungsten comes from the Swedish language tung sten, which directly translates to heavy stone. Its name in Swedish is volfram, however, in order to distinguish it from scheelite, which in Swedish is alternatively named tungsten.
Three reasons Tungsten stands out
- 1
Also known as wolfram, this metal has the highest melting point.
- 2
It was used for the glowing filaments inside traditional incandescent light bulbs because nothing else could survive the heat.
- 3
A golf-ball-sized piece of it weighs over 600 grams, nearly twice as heavy as the same size piece of lead.
The metal that refuses to melt
Tungsten has the highest melting point of any pure metal and remains strong at temperatures that soften most competitors. Those traits served incandescent filaments and now protect cutting tools, furnaces, and rocket hardware. Its symbol W preserves the older name wolfram.