Not necessarily
AuGmENTor said:
IMO, silver is a bit more prone to tarnishing, thus adding resistance.
My recent job was essentially Electrical Engineer for a flexible circuit manufacturer (microwave and gas pump "keyboards" 'n such). We used silver screen printed inks, and the resistance often went DOWN on tarnished circuits, but the change was small enough that most non-EEs would even notice or care- took quite a bit of data to even notice a change. Silver and Copper are some damn fine conductors of most wave phenomena. You ever use silver solder (used all the time in gunsmithing)- that's some pretty dandy stuff too?
On our clicky "tactile" switches, we often needed nickel plating to pull the resistance of stainless steel down where our customers wanted it.
Aluminum's pretty much just good for beer cans and softball bats, but they sure build a lot of airplanes and semi-trailers out of that crap! What are your thoughts on the Aluminum +3 ion and Alzheimers? I don't try to ever cook in aluminum pans if I can help it- makes backpacking pretty heavy though with cast iron.
That's the problem with this Truth business- people saw it so it must be a certain way. Joe Q. Public doesn't know enough optics to discuss holography and "illusion" or enough materials science to describe even everyday household objects. But he "knows" that we're all Kooks and those 19 Iraqis destroyed 'Merica!
I agree that AuG observed considerable silver tarnish in his day, and "common sense" supports his statement. 2 years of my test data does not. Oxygen is HELLA electrically active, and I suspect that's a factor.
Now don't even get me started on the carbon conductive ink- that's deep water there...