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Copper: Facts you need to know
By Commodity Online Special
July 19, 2007 13:45 IST
Copper is one of the most widely used metals across the globe. But you need to know some interesting facts on copper.
Read them there:
- Some of the earliest uses of copper we know of dates back to the cave men who used axes and other weapons made of copper. All the way from the Egyptian pyramids to Mohenjo Daro, archaeologists have discovered copper used to make statues and even plumbing systems.
- In ancient times, people believed that drinking water and eating food in copper vessels was the best remedy for long, healthy life.
- Some of the fastest microprocessors in the world are made partly from copper. Also, a major part of the connectors and instrument parts used in spacecrafts and rockets use copper.
- Archeologists have recovered a portion of a water plumbing system from the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt. After 5,000 years, the copper tubing was still in serviceable condition.
- Copper is one of the best and safest conductors of electricity and has replaced aluminium in all areas including house wiring.
- Replacing all Aluminium wound transformers with copper can result in annual energy savings of 4500 million kehr of energy and Rs 1800 crore (Rs 18 billion) for India.
- The daily dietary recommendation of copper for an adult is 1-2 mg and for a child is 0.5-I mg.
- Expectant mothers are advised to double their intake of copper during the third trimester to ensure proper foetal development.
- One of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls found in Israel is made of copper instead of fragile animal skins. The scroll contains clues to a still undiscovered treasure.
- When Columbus sailed to America, his ships (Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria) had copper skins below the water line. The copper sheathing extended hull life and protected against barnacles and other types of biofouling. Today, most sea-going vessels use a copper-based paint for hull protection.
- During the Middle Ages, copper and bronze flourished in China, India, and Japan.
- The discoveries and inventions in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries by Ampere, Faraday, and Ohm propelled copper into a new era. Demonstrating excellent electrical conducting and heat transfer characteristics, copper played a pivotal role in launching the Industrial Revolution.
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