Path: utzoo!utdoe!torag!spocom!luns
From: luns@spocom.guild.org (Luns Tee)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Gold saves energy.
Keywords: gold
Message-ID: <FNs533w164w@spocom.guild.org>
Date: Thu, 06 Jun 91 13:48:26 EDT
References: <1991Jun5.052524.5825@agate.berkeley.edu>
Organization: The Spocom Group

shirriff@sprite.berkeley.edu (Ken Shirriff) writes:

> I think this discussion of resistivity is missing the point; what matters
> is resistivity relative to cost.  If material A costs 10 times as
> much as material B but has half the resistivity, you're probably
> better off making cables out of B that are twice as thick than using cables
> of A.  (Assuming the material cost is the only significant cost.)
> 
> In any case, I don't see what the sense of gold-plating the wires would
> be; that sounds like rec.audio voodoo.

   There's one point you missed when it comes to RF connectors - the skin 
effect. At higher frequencies, electrons tend to travel at the surface of 
a conductor. If that happens to be oxidized copper or aluminum, the 
benefit of a bit of gold plating would be worth it. Along the length of a 
conductor though, the insulation is good enough to keep oxygen out.