If silver is the best conductor of electricity, why is gold used in electronics instead?
In: Engineering
On Earth with oxidation, copper wire is a cheap conductor, and gold is great for contact points.
Electrical engineers use the thinnest (cheapest) gauge of copper wire that also has the ability to bend, flex, and move while also balancing how the copper wire degrades over time. The gold plating is also extremely thin, as cheap as possible while still keeping the non-reactive contact point.
Silver wire is sometimes used in satellites. While it is more expensive than copper and only offers minimal improvements, the cost is less important and the conductivity is more important.
Aluminum wire is both lighter and cheaper than copper making a tradeoff against wearing down and the extra electrical resistance. It is used for very long wires like long distance power lines, and in airplanes for the weight despite being a slightly worse conductor relative to wire thickness. The oxidation issues and costs there are balanced against the other costs, and some industries choose it.
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