What element has the symbol 'Ge'?

The story behind the answer

Germanium is the correct answer because the chemical symbol Ge stands for Germanium, element 32. The other options don’t match: Gallium is Ga, Erbium is Er, and “Germadium” isn’t an element.

Germanium is a metalloid, predicted by Mendeleev as “eka-silicon” and discovered in 1886 by Clemens Winkler in Germany—hence the name. It played a key role in the first transistors before silicon took over and is still used in fiber optics and infrared optics. Memory tip: think “GE = GErmany = Germanium.” If you see a leading G, check the second letter: Ge is Germanium, Ga is Gallium, Er is Er