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 Replies: 13 / Views: 2,484 |
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New Member
United States
48 Posts |
I saw 12 facts about gold. Because of that, I decided to get the best facts (I found interesting) about silver:
1. Silver kills bacteria by chemically affecting the cell membranes, breaking them down. Bacteria do not develop resistance to Silver, as they do to many antibiotics.
2. In fourteen languages, the words for silver and money are the same.
3. 24,171 silver-coated, quartz tiles protected NASA's Megellan spacecraft from overheating under twice the solar radiation experienced orbiting the earth.
4. A new silver-lithium-aluminum alloy is the strongest wrought aluminum alloy known. It has been used on several of the NASA space shuttle missions.
5. Over 1.5 billion silver oxide-zinc batteries are supplied to world markets yearly, including miniature-sized batteries for watches, cameras and small electronic devices, and larger batteries for tools and commercial portable TV cameras.
6. The production of polyester fabrics, hydraulic fluids, engine antifreezes, and most flexible plastics, such as Mylar, is made more efficient by the use of silver.
7. The expression 'born with a Silver spoon in their mouth' stems from health rather than wealth status, as children fed with Silver utensils were believed to be healtheir.
8. Throughout history, more people have used silver for money than have used gold.
9. Silver is the best conductor of heat of all elements. Its uses in solar panels and automobile rear window defoggers take advantage of this quality.
10. Silver coins have the highest degree of optical reflectivity of all bullion. A Silver mirror can reflect about 95% of the visible light spectrum.
11. In 1900, there were approximately 12 billion ounces of silver in the world. Today, that figure has fallen to about 300 million ounces of above-ground, refined silver.
12. More than 95% of annual silver consumption is from industrial and decorative uses; photography and jewelry and silverware.
13. Every electrical action in a modern car is activated with silver coated contacts.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
About 20 to 25 thousand tonnes of newly mined silver are produced annually.
About 2500 tonnes of newly mined gold are produced annually.
The Cannington Mine in Central Queensland has the highest annual silver production for any mine currently, but it will be worked out in a few years.
No.7:
"I was born with a PLASTIC spoon in my mouth"
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
36826 Posts |
That's why I like both silver and gold. Each has it's own merits.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
Get the best of BOTH worlds, and a third as well; the Sydney Mint Sovereign 22 ct gold coin is alloyed with silver, not copper, and has high numismatic value as well.
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Valued Member
United States
376 Posts |
Gold would be awesome to start collecting/investing in but, for the price, I love the volume of silver you can get.
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Forum Dad
 United States
24170 Posts |
Quote:
9. Silver is the best conductor of heat of all elements. Its uses in solar panels and automobile rear window defoggers take advantage of this quality. It's used in windshields now too. The ones you see coming at you with the pink/purple tint to them if the light hits them right have silver in them. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1502 Posts |
All the industrial uses of silver makes its price hard to predict though. A double-edged sword with both consumer-driven economy and safe-haven investment both affect its price.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4008 Posts |
Quote:
A double-edged sword with both consumer-driven economy and safe-haven investment both affect its price. One could just as easily say that this is an advantage because a reduction in use in one area can be supported by the same or increasing use in the other area... diversification of use, as it were.  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1502 Posts |
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an advantage True. It just makes it harder for non-pros like me to understand it and side one way or another with opinions that push strongly one way and disregard the other. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
538 Posts |
I agree with Ed.
For the same reason you diversify your investments for retirement it is good that a precious metal or commodity is used or needed for diverse reasons.
It's a hedge against dramatic price changes. Silver is different from other commodities though such as say corn or even gold. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable in why that is than I could chime in.
Either way the more and different ways something is used or needed is always a good thing if you're looking for something to hold value.
Edited by Williamsonj320
07/20/2012 01:37 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4008 Posts |
Quote:
Silver is different from other commodities though such as say corn or even gold. Indeed it is. Silver is similar to gold because both of them have been money and jewelry for over 4,000 years. This shows us that human beings are strongly attracted to both of these metals and the things that they can be made into. It also shows us that nothing else in human experience has been seen as "money" for such a long time. I suppose that copper also has some of these attributes as well but is much more common and cheaper. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
548 Posts |
A few more:
Silver has the highest electrical conductivity of any metal. Even higher than copper. In fact, back when HP made high grade electronic components, they'd include some silver solder wire so repair technicians could work on the equipment without degrading it.
Adding to 3. in the original post, silver, like most metals, has extremely high emissivity (it reflects thermal radiation). Covering pieces you do not with to get hot with silver (or gold, or aluminum, etc) works.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
863 Posts |
This is why I collect silver. I feel that it is highly undervalued. It is used in so much technology. we will eventually run out
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4008 Posts |
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we will eventually run out Typically, what happens is that we "run out" of that which is relatively concentrated and easy to get at and therefore the cheapest to produce. As rich ore veins play out, for example, poorer ore grades get mined and that requires moving and processing more tons of rock to get the same ounces of valuable metal. I don't think that we will run out of silver or gold for a VERY long time but what we will run out of is that which is cheap and easy to get. That, of course, bodes very well for rising precious metal prices.  |
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Replies: 13 / Views: 2,484 |
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Posted 07/16/2012 10:34 pm
