Copper has been one of the most useful metals for over 7,000 years. Today, the uses of this reddish-orange metal range from house gutters to electronic guidance systems for space rockets.
Copper is the best low-cost conductor of electric current. As a result, the electrical industry uses about 60 percent of the copper produced, chiefly in the form of wire. Copper wire carries most of the electric current inside homes, factories, and offices. Large amounts of copper wire are used in telephone systems, as well as in television sets, motors, and generators.
Combined with other metals, copper forms such alloys as brass and bronze (see Brass; Bronze). Copper and its alloys can be made into thousands of useful and ornamental articles. In the home, copper serves as a basic material for locks, pipe, plumbing fixtures, doorknobs, and drawer pulls. Other commonly used copper products include lamps, pots, pans, roofing, and jewelry.
Chemical compounds of copper help improve soil and destroy harmful insects. Copper compounds in paint serve as pigments and help protect materials against corrosion. Also, copper in small amounts is vital to all plant and animal life.
In ancient times, one of the chief sources of copper for the peoples near the Mediterranean Sea was the island of Cyprus. As a result, the metal became known as Cyprian metal. Both the word copper and the chemical symbol for the element, Cu, come from cuprum, the Roman name for Cyprian metal.
