Why are alloys used?

Alloys mix metals with other elements to help harden and otherwise make them more useful. For example, gold is too soft to make good jewelry on its own, but it can be mixed with other elements, including harder metals like zinc and nickel, to help make it strong enough to be formed into rings and other jewelry pieces.

In addition to being used for jewelry, metal alloys have a wide variety of applications, including being used to make incredibly strong industrial metals like tungsten steel and wrought iron. Alloys are also used in medical applications, including in the metals that are used for dental braces.