Why is gold expensive? Detailed answer

BIG ENCYCLOPEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS
Free library / Directory / Big encyclopedia for children and adults

Why is gold expensive? Detailed answer

Big encyclopedia for children and adults

Directory / Big encyclopedia. Questions for quiz and self-education

Did you know?

Why is gold expensive?

There are three reasons why people have always valued gold: beauty, chemical inertness, and rarity. If iron were as rare as gold, it would probably be just as highly valued. Gold is a soft, yellow metal. It is one of the heaviest chemical elements. 200 cm³ of this metal weighs more than 540 kg. Gold is one of the most easily processed metals. Gold easily takes on any shape: one gram of gold can be turned into a plate of almost 2 m². Unlike other metals, gold does not tarnish when exposed to air. (You know what happens to silver, for example, when it is left open for a long time.)

Gold remains bright and does not lose its luster. And this is probably the first reason why people highly valued gold. Gold is also one of the least reactive metals. It reacts with only a few acids.

Gold has always been used as money. Although coins were also minted from other metals, their value has always been in doubt, and the value of gold coins has never been. Until 1914, almost all the world's currency was measured in gold. This means that US dollars, French francs, German marks, etc. had a set price in relation to gold. At any time, the currency could be exchanged for gold. This system was called the gold standard, and although it is no longer used, gold still plays an important role in international trade. Gold is used as a reserve that ensures the country's foreign trade.

Gold is used everywhere. About 10 percent of the gold produced each year is used by jewelers. Gold is used in dentistry. Since gold is a good conductor of electricity, it is used in certain types of electrical contacts. The rarity of gold supports its price. Today, slightly more than half of the gold mined comes from South Africa. The richest gold deposits in the world were discovered there in 1886.

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

Why is it impossible to vote on someone else's behalf in the European Parliament?

Members of the European Parliament vote not with a card, but with their hand, placing it in the slot of a special sensor.

Electronics will count the vote only if the pattern of lines on the fingers and palm corresponds to the one registered with this deputy. So it is simply impossible to entrust a colleague to vote for himself.

Test your knowledge! Did you know...

▪ What is acid?

▪ Where did you come up with glasses with temples?

▪ What musical instrument makes sounds from the stalactites of an American cave?

See other articles Section Big encyclopedia. Questions for quiz and self-education.

Read and write useful comments on this article.

<< Back

Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:

Machine for thinning flowers in gardens 02.05.2024

In modern agriculture, technological progress is developing aimed at increasing the efficiency of plant care processes. The innovative Florix flower thinning machine was presented in Italy, designed to optimize the harvesting stage. This tool is equipped with mobile arms, allowing it to be easily adapted to the needs of the garden. The operator can adjust the speed of the thin wires by controlling them from the tractor cab using a joystick. This approach significantly increases the efficiency of the flower thinning process, providing the possibility of individual adjustment to the specific conditions of the garden, as well as the variety and type of fruit grown in it. After testing the Florix machine for two years on various types of fruit, the results were very encouraging. Farmers such as Filiberto Montanari, who has used a Florix machine for several years, have reported a significant reduction in the time and labor required to thin flowers. ... >>

Advanced Infrared Microscope 02.05.2024

Microscopes play an important role in scientific research, allowing scientists to delve into structures and processes invisible to the eye. However, various microscopy methods have their limitations, and among them was the limitation of resolution when using the infrared range. But the latest achievements of Japanese researchers from the University of Tokyo open up new prospects for studying the microworld. Scientists from the University of Tokyo have unveiled a new microscope that will revolutionize the capabilities of infrared microscopy. This advanced instrument allows you to see the internal structures of living bacteria with amazing clarity on the nanometer scale. Typically, mid-infrared microscopes are limited by low resolution, but the latest development from Japanese researchers overcomes these limitations. According to scientists, the developed microscope allows creating images with a resolution of up to 120 nanometers, which is 30 times higher than the resolution of traditional microscopes. ... >>

Air trap for insects 01.05.2024

Agriculture is one of the key sectors of the economy, and pest control is an integral part of this process. A team of scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Potato Research Institute (ICAR-CPRI), Shimla, has come up with an innovative solution to this problem - a wind-powered insect air trap. This device addresses the shortcomings of traditional pest control methods by providing real-time insect population data. The trap is powered entirely by wind energy, making it an environmentally friendly solution that requires no power. Its unique design allows monitoring of both harmful and beneficial insects, providing a complete overview of the population in any agricultural area. “By assessing target pests at the right time, we can take necessary measures to control both pests and diseases,” says Kapil ... >>

Random news from the Archive

Bioceramics absorb metals 06.02.2005

German scientists from the Research Center for Atomic Physics in Rossendorf near Dresden have developed a "live" filter that actively absorbs heavy metals from water. The filter is based on bioceramics, a highly porous material that has been used for years for bone replacement.

In 1995, physicists discovered a strain of bacteria in uranium-bearing rock heaps that quickly and in unusually large amounts concentrate uranium in their cells from water seeping through the heaps.

Now the bacteria have been "tamed", they have been settled in numerous pores penetrating bioceramics. By passing water contaminated with uranium compounds through this porous material, clean drinking water is obtained at the output - from 86 to 99% of uranium is absorbed.

Uranium is not poisonous to bacteria, since their cells contain a protein that tightly binds this heavy metal. They are also capable of removing lead, cadmium, copper and nickel from water.

Other interesting news:

▪ Doctors will get smartphones and smartwatches instead of pagers

▪ How do ants deal with traffic jams?

▪ Stylus camera

▪ The laser controls the aircraft

▪ Washer-dryer TCL Twin Cabin Q10

News feed of science and technology, new electronics

Interesting materials of the Free Technical Library:

▪ section of the site for the Builder, home craftsman. Selection of articles

▪ article Give me a foothold. Popular expression

▪ article Which artist's paintings correspond to the mathematical description of turbulent flows? Detailed answer

▪ article Sandblasting. Standard instruction on labor protection

▪ article Electric guitar from the usual. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering

▪ article DC voltmeter with automatic range selection. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering

Leave your comment on this article:

All languages of this page

Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews