Copper is one of the first metals to ever be used by humans and ever since has made very important contributions to the betterment of the lives of humans. The metal has been used for coins and ornaments, helped humans with their transition from the Stone Age with copper tools and with the discovery of bronze, by alloying copper and tin, marked the start of the Bronze Age.
Copper is very malleable, can resist corrosion and can efficiently conduct heat and electricity. This makes the metal as important to humans today as it was important thousands of years ago.
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In Today’s Society
Nowadays, copper is used for building construction, power generation and transmission, electronics manufacturing and the production of industrial machinery and transportation vehicles. Copper wires and tubes are very important for appliances, heating and cooling systems and communication links used by people every day in their homes and work.
Copper is also a vital component in making motors, wirings, radiators, connectors, brakes and bearings that is used to produce cars and trucks. An average can contain about 1.5 kilometers of copper wire and the total amount of copper is between around 20 kilograms to 45 kilograms.
As a Traded Commodity
Copper is considered a commodity and is thus traded by people around the world. Copper is traded in the form of futures contracts which is a legal agreement to trade copper at a predetermined price at a specified time in the future. Trades are held at places like the London Metal Exchange and the New York Mercantile Exchange.