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From: gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman)
Newsgroups: sci.engr,sci.misc,sci.space,sci.econ
Subject: Re: Excavating (minig) gold in the space by NASA.
Message-ID: <2981@ke4zv.UUCP>
Date: 13 Jun 91 10:17:47 GMT
References: <sehari.676667362@du248-12.cc.iastate.edu> <1991Jun11.222221.23488@cbfsb.att.com> <IVAN%NEPJT.91Jun11205503@nepjt.ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>
Reply-To: gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman)
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In article <IVAN%NEPJT.91Jun11205503@nepjt.ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> ivan@nepjt.ncsu.edu (Ivan Maldonado) writes:
>
>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).
>===> <pooff> goes the forecast of an electric energy crisis...  :-)

It's so sad to see NC State can't afford a CRC Handbook.

Electrical resistance of selected elements in microhm-cm

Silver		1.59
Copper		1.673
Gold		2.35
Aluminum	2.6548

Note that gold is much more resistive than copper or silver.

Density gm/cc

Silver		10.5
Copper		8.96
Gold		19.32
Aluminum	2.6989

Note that gold is much denser than Aluminum, copper, or silver.

I won't bore you with tables of tensile strength. Suffice to say Aluminum,
copper, and silver all have higher tensile strengths than gold. Aluminum
has the best combination of light weight, high conductivity, and tensile
strength of the group. It's also plentiful and cheap. Needless to say
gold powerlines would be impractical even if gold were free.

Gary