Text 30682, 108 rader
Skriven 2009-03-31 09:55:08 av Lee Lofaso (3:800/432.0)
  Kommentar till text 30506 av Michiel Van Der Vlist (2:280/5555)
Ärende: Gold
============
Hello Michiel,

>MV>Neither diamond nor gold have much intrinsic value. Both have
>MV>limited application in industry and both are not irriplaceable.

>RB>Not true, as gold does not corrode

MVDV>It dissolves in "Kings water". Yes, it is very corrosion
MVDV>resitant. But so is stainless steel...

For most applications, that is not a concern.

>RB>and is highly conductive (heat and electricity),

MVDV>Actually its electric conductance is LESS than that of copper.
(45.2 x 10^ S/m2 vs 59.6). Silver is slighty better. (63.01 S/m2)

Copper cookware is suitable only for making sauces and scrambled
eggs.  However, copper wiring is much more suitable than aluminum
wiring.  And much less expensive than gold wiring could possibly
be.  But notice the Ark of the Covenant was made with gold, rather
than copper or silver.  Presumably, God told the Jews it had to
be made of gold.  Nothing else would do.

MVDV>Gold is used by audio freeks for plating in contacts, But
MVDV>as I have stated elsewhere, Nickel is just as good for all
MVDV>practical purposes.

Given the choice, I'd rather use gold.

>RB>and diamond is the  hardest-known substance

MVDV>True, but what do you need that for? you only need
MVDV>something harder than what you want to cut. So unless you
MVDV>want to cut carborundum do you need a diamond cutter.

Diamand dust has many practical applications.  Including coating
the space shuttle.

>RB>and is also a good heat conductor.

MVDV>But not unique in that.

True.  But gold does have certain advantages.

>RB>At present, neither is replaceable for certain uses.

MVDV>Such as?

Building a new Ark of the Covenant (the old one was lost).  The Ark of
the Covenant supposedly allowed the Jews to be able to communicate with
God.  And also guarantee them victory in war.

>RB>Gold electrical contacts prevent connection deterioration over time
>RB>(platinum is also good, but much more expensive and harder to work),

MVDV>See above, nickel is just as good.

Those who spend a nickel to save a dime generally get what they pay for.

MVDV>Actually I think nickel is better. Gold is soft, it wears
MVDV>off quicker then nickel when the contacts are plugged in
MVDV>and out very often.

Gold is used in every computer.  Granted, it is not much gold that
is used.  But gold is a necessary component.  Nickel is not good enough.
Gold is malleable, and can be thinned to a much greater extent than
other metals.  Think of gold leaf.  How thin is that?  One ounce of
gold can go very far, much farther than most folks can imagine.

>RB>and diamond deposited on electronic chips increases the thermal
>RB>transfer rate, making for a cooler chip.

MVDV>There are other ways.

Sure.  But quality may suffer.

>RB>There are also things known as diamond cutters or saw blades for hard
>RB>materials.

MVDV>I know. Not irriplaceable either.

Depends on what one's needs are.  Obviously, one would not need a
diamond cutter or diamond-coated saw blade for general carpentry work.
Same thing with gold.  For some applications, gold would be preferable.
For other applications, best to avoid the expense.  IOW, does the cost
justify the benefit?

>RB>You're mainly talking about bulk products and hoarding, where both
>RB>gold and diamonds _would_ be replaceable _if_ there was anything
>RB>equally desirable to replace them with. But at present, and for the
>RB>last few thousand years, that hasn't been the case.

MVDV>The fact remains that gold and diamond are very sparsely
MVDV>used in industry and that niether of them are irriplaceable.

For most things, that would be true.  But not necessarily for all
things.  It might even be a very small number of things where gold
or diamond are truly irreplaceable.  When it comes to most things,
the question is - does the cost justify the benefit?

--Lee


 * SLMR 2.1a * Im he as ur he as ur me n w'r ll 2gtha

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