Metals:
* Majority of the periodic table: Metals dominate the left side and the middle of the periodic table.
* Staircase: The line that separates metals from nonmetals roughly follows a staircase-like pattern starting from Boron (B) and going down to Polonium (Po).
Nonmetals:
* Right side of the periodic table: Nonmetals are located on the right side of the periodic table.
* Staircase: They are located to the right of the "staircase" mentioned above.
* Hydrogen: Hydrogen (H) is a nonmetal, even though it sits above the alkali metals.
Metalloids (Semimetals):
* Along the staircase: The elements that fall along the staircase line are called metalloids or semimetals. They have properties of both metals and nonmetals.
Remember: This is a general guideline. There are a few exceptions, but this should give you a good visual understanding of where to find metals and nonmetals on the periodic table.
