Charging a metal by conduction using only a single terminal of a battery is not feasible, as current requires a complete circuit to flow. Touching only the negative terminal to a neutral metal will not result in a negative charge because there is no pathway for charge movement. For conduction to occur, both terminals of the battery must be involved to create a circuit. When a negatively charged object contacts a neutral one, charge redistributes across both surfaces, but this requires the presence of a complete circuit. Therefore, a single terminal cannot effectively charge a metal by conduction.