the.com/copper wire
Two Roman engineers arguing for a year, then compromising on electricity.
means A thin strand of copper metal used to carry electrical current or signals through circuits, wiring, and cables.
from 'Copper' traces back to Latin 'cuprum,' itself shortened from 'aes Cyprium' — literally 'metal of Cyprus,' the island whose ancient mines supplied much of the Roman world's copper. 'Wire' comes from Old English 'wir,' related to Old Norse and Germanic words for twisting or bending metal into a thin strand — the same root family that gives us 'wreath' and 'wrist.' The two words only became an inseparable pair with the rise of telegraphy and electrical engineering, when copper's conductivity made it the metal of choice for carrying current.
- origin myth
- joke about Romans arguing until wire-thin
- conductivity rank
- second only to silver, way cheaper
- theft problem
- stripped from buildings for scrap value
- oxidizes green
- patina protects it, see Statue of Liberty