(November 21, 2015 at 6:59 pm)AFTT47 Wrote: Gold is very rare in Earth's crust and is very expensive to harvest. It has extremely useful properties for electronics. It is the fourth-best conductor of electricity (behind silver, copper and aluminum) but doesn't tarnish. That makes it great for electronics connections in high-reliability applications. Gold-plated connectors are not subject to corrosion.
I agree with you regarding the superficial value of gold and diamonds but as others have pointed out, value in a capitalistic system is determined by what someone with the capital is willing to pay. It won't necessarily be driven by practicality or enlightenment.
One's computer usually has some gold in its processor connectors and other critical parts. It takes acqua regia to dissolve gold, a mix of chloridric acid with nitric acid.
