----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 10:11 AM Subject: Re: [canals-list] Re: Home Broadband Questions for the technocrats
<SNIP> Footnote: It doesn't mean much to me but there are mumblings in the village about the lines from the exchange being aluminium rather than copper - does this explain anything to the experts? Arthur Naylor </SNIP> In terms of electronic conductivity, the denser the metal, the better it is. * Gold is the best. Best conductivity and doesn't tarnish. Too expensive and soft to use for wires. Aircraft and expensive plugs and sockets have their pins and sockets gold plated. * Lead would be a good conductor but heavyness and breakability would cancel out the use. * Copper has been the usual compromise. However, copper is too heavy for high voltage power lines so aluminium (aluminum) is often used to decrease the weight. It is not as good a conductor but it is cheaper and lighter than copper. Electronic signals such as telephone and digital communication for TV and computer can be most efficiently carried on fibre-optic cable. If your Internet Service Provider could magicly produce the funds to carry their service on fibre-optic cable, I believe you would see a vast improvement in your computer speed. Eric [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
