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From: ssave@ole.UUCP (Shailendra Save)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics,sci.energy
Subject: Re: Gold saves energy.
Message-ID: <1987@ole.UUCP>
Date: 5 Jun 91 22:41:17 GMT
References: <1991Jun5.163512.1314@zoo.toronto.edu>
Organization: Seattle Silicon Corp., Bellevue, WA.
Lines: 26

From article <1991Jun5.163512.1314@zoo.toronto.edu>, by henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer):
> 
> Uh, what makes you think gold plating will save energy?  The only effect
> of a thin layer of gold plating on the surface, aside from making the cables
> pretty :-), will be to make them a bit more corrosion-resistant.  Corrosion
> is not normally a serious problem anyway.

   There is something known as the skin effect, due to which, the
   higher the frequence, the closer to the skin the current travels.
   This is one of the reasons why the cables are never solid, but a
   bundle of thinner wires. The other reason is of course to have some
   tensile strength. 
   With this knowledge, I would think that the bulk would not matter
   so much as the "skins" of the individual wires. So we would have to
   just coat the outermost wires with gold(so that they don't corrode)
   but coat all the inner wires with silver (since they are not in
   contact with external factors) so as to reduce resistivity to
   current through it.

   Just my 2.76 yen worth (today's rate).

   Someone please verify the skin effect stuff.

   Shailendra
   ssave@caen.engin.umich.edu
   sumax!ole.uucp!ssave