If silver is the best conductor of electricity, why is gold used in electronics instead?
In: Engineering
Silver and copper corrode. Gold pretty much can’t, and aluminum generally doesn’t (excluding intentional examples like thermite).
But Ag and Au are much too expensive to use for everything. Al is dirt cheap and Cu is fairly cheap, so it comes down to size, weight, and efficiency vs cost concerns. Small, light stuff that needs efficiency? Cu. Giant, heavy stuff that needs to be cheap? Al. Middle of the road? Do lots of math to figure out what is cheapest but still does the job.
The gold you see on processors and connectors is a microscopically thin layer, protecting the (usually) copper wiring inside.
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