Wire Trivia Questions

Silver is best but too expensive; copper is standard, with aluminum used for power lines due to weight.

Typical human hair diameter: 70–100 microns. Gold bonding wires in chips can be as thin as 25 microns, easily thinner than hair.

Joseph Glidden received a patent for barbed wire in 1874, revolutionizing fencing on the American prairies.

Early telegraph lines used iron wire, as it was cheaper and stronger. Copper became the standard later for its superior conductivity.

Fiber optics use light and vastly outpace copper wire for data speed; wire is slower and distance-limited.

Titanium is strong but not flexible like rubber; rubber is elastic, while metal wires permanently deform under strain.

Old English 'wīr' indeed referred to twisted metal thread, and it's related to similar words in other Germanic languages.

After earlier failed attempts, the SS Great Eastern laid a working cable across the Atlantic in 1866, enabling fast communication between Europe and North America.