9781422285541

Copper is one of the most plentiful metals on the planet and the first that humans used in any quantity. It’s so tough and durable when mixed with other metals that shipbuilders once used copper sheets to cover the bottoms of their frigates and schooners, and ancient warriors made weapons with copper blades. Copper conducts heat and electricity very well, which is why electrical wires and circuits are often made from copper. People love copper because they can shape it into anything they want. You can pound it into thin wire, or twist it into curly tubes. Mix copper with other metals, and you have useful alloys, including brass and bronze. It is true that an ounce of gold and silver are worth considerably more than copper, but copper is the workhorse mineral—the metal of the ages. It’s unlikely that a day goes by when you or someone you know doesn’t use copper.

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