[teddyh]

> Gold is an excellent conductor

Actually, gold is a worse conductor than both copper and silver, and only a little better than aluminum.

> and does not corrode in air

This is the real reason for plating contacts in gold. But gold wires would be a bad idea, since they would be worse than both copper and silver wires.

[Gud]

Parent didn’t say gold was a better conductor than silver or copper though. How does gold compare to copper- or silver oxide? Which was the point parent was making.

[teddyh]

The text was unclear; perhaps they did not believe that gold is a superior conductor to copper and silver. But in my experience, many people do think that, and I thought it would be useful to point out that this is not true.

[bluGill]

Parent did say gold was a good conductor which is arguable false.

[ssl-3]

Aluminum is also an excellent conductor.

[SoftTalker]

But also corrodes more than copper, making it unsuitable for household wiring unless special precautions are taken.

[ssl-3]

Indeed. It has some practical issues that need properly mitigated, but it is still a very good conductor.