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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 176
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I have a stupid question for everyone. Is the copper in wiring made from pure copper (not accounting for negligible impurities), or is it an alloy of some sort?
-Josh
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,483 Likes: 3
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Not only is it essentially pure copper, it is what is known as "oxygen free" copper.
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 329
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"oxygen free" copper They are required to use it on sattelites and on the space station. ![[Linked Image]](https://www.electrical-contractor.net/ubb/biggrin.gif) ![[Linked Image]](https://www.electrical-contractor.net/ubb/wink.gif)
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 625
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Ya mean,... those guys selling the "oxygen-free" interconnects at $100 a foot are charging for a feature the $5 RCA cables from Radio Shack already have??? I'm shocked, I tell you! Shocked!!!
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 444
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Ok, you got me....what benefits are their to oxygen free copper?
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,429
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With oxygen free copper, the electrons sweat less.
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 64
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 840
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Yes, wire is made from pure copper. Even small amounts of impurities can greatly reduce conductivity.
Peter
Peter
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 793 Likes: 3
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Just imagine if the only good conductor of electricity was mercury. Instead of copper wire, you'd be using rubber hoses filled with mercury. Slices would be fun.... Talk about leakage.
SOme audiofools might be convinced that mercury filled garden hoses for speaker cable gave the music a "fluid" sound....
Heard, that back in WW2, some buildings built for the Manhattan project (A bomb development) were wired with silver wire, as copper was in short supply.
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 806
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Heard, that back in WW2, some buildings built for the Manhattan project (A bomb development) were wired with silver wire, as copper was in short supply. Not buildings, AFAIK, but the electromagnet windings and busbars for the calutrons at Oak Ridge, TN, used for uranium isotope separation: http://www.childrenofthemanhattanproject.org/HISTORY/H-06b2-1.htm They borrowed 15,000 TONS of it from the US treasury...
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Posts: 21
Joined: September 2019
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