Xref: utzoo sci.engr:1389 sci.misc:5148 sci.space:31787 sci.econ:3924 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!stanford.edu!agate!pasteur!dog.ee.lbl.gov!csa3.lbl.gov!jtchew From: jtchew@csa3.lbl.gov (JOSEPH T CHEW) Newsgroups: sci.engr,sci.misc,sci.space,sci.econ Subject: Engineering uses of precious metals (was Re: Excavating...) Message-ID: <14197@dog.ee.lbl.gov> Date: 12 Jun 91 15:37:53 GMT References: Reply-To: jtchew@csa3.lbl.gov Followup-To: sci.engr Distribution: na Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory - Berkeley, CA, USA Lines: 18 News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4 X-Local-Date: Wed, 12 Jun 91 07:43:28 PDT >Actually, the advantages due to gold's great conductivity properties >could also be used to significantly reduce the electric power losses during >its transmission (i.e., replace copper with gold in transmission lines). >===> goes the forecast of an electric energy crisis... :-) Hmm. What are transmission lines made of, anyway? The ones I've examined up close (towards the pointy end of the power grid) appear to be aluminum wrapped around a steel carrier. More to the point, people keep alluding to the wonderful engineering uses to which we could put cheap, plentiful gold and platinum. What are they? I'm curious. Suggest followup to sci.engr for these questions and sci.space for further discussion of the contaminated-iron asteroid. --Joe "Just another personal opinion from the People's Republic of Berkeley"