Journal Archive

Platinum Metals Rev., 2013, 57, (3), 214
doi: 10.1595/147106713X668712

Erratum: ‘The Platinum Decathlon – A Tribute to the Foresight of Antoine Baumé’

  • Andrew Fones
  • Johnson Matthey Technology Centre,
  • Blounts Court, Sonning Common, Reading RG4 9NH, UK
  • Email: fonesar@matthey.com

In a recent article in Platinum Metals Review (1), the section on jewellery states that a platinum rod which is 10 cm long and 1 cm in diameter can be drawn into a wire approximately 2777 km long.

This should be a factor of 10 higher at 27,778 km (see calculation below).

The wire length was based on calculating a constant volume from the starting rod, based on the final wire thickness of 0.0006 mm (2).

Calculation:

Volume of a cylinder = πr2l

where r = radius and l = length.

Therefore, volume of a cylinder 1 cm diameter (corresponding to 0.5 cm radius) by 10 cm length is π × 0.52 × 10 = 7.854 cm3.

For thin wire, diameter = 0.0006 mm or 0.00006 cm.

Therefore, l = 7.853/(π × 0.000032)

l = 2.7778 × 109 cm

l = 2.7778 × 107 m

l = 27778 km

References

  1.  C. Barnard and A. Fones, Platinum Metals Rev., 2012, 56, (3), 165 LINK https://www.technology.matthey.com/article/56/3/165-176/
  2.  Goodfellow, Platinum Wire, Diameter: 0.0006 mm, Purity: 99.9%, Condition: Wollaston wire, PT005101: http://www.goodfellow.com/A/Platinum-Wire.html (Accessed on 21st May 2013)
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