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Cash in hand isn’t unhackable at all. Counterfeiting is still a real thing.
by lojack 9y ago
Cash in hand isn’t unhackable at all. Counterfeiting is still a real thing.
- lightedman 9y agoCertain types of currency are absolutely unforgeable or easily detected if they are forged. Gold, for example. It's how we discovered specific gravity.
- chrissnell 9y agoNonsense. The average person, me included, could not detect impure gold if given a piece of it.
- dnautics 9y agoIt's not that hard. Take a Black Rock, and a few samples ok known purity, 75,80,95,100%. Then scratch the gold sample across a set of lines, of these purities, and see which is the closest.
- 21 9y agoYou failed. A lot of counterfeit gold has insertion of other metals in the center (tungsten for example which has a similar density) https://static6.businessinsider.com/image/505a1d2eeab8ea8610000007-480-640/fake-gold-bar.jpg https://static6.businessinsider.com/image/505a1d2eeab8ea8610...
- lightedman 9y agoTungsten is noticeably lighter, by about 7%. Hand-in-hand comparison with another similar-sized bar of pure gold would give it away instantly.
- 21 9y agoNote that I specifically talked about density, not weight. Wikipedia: Because the density is so similar to that of gold (tungsten is only 0.36% less dense), tungsten can also be used in counterfeiting of gold bars, such as by plating a tungsten bar with gold
- lightedman 9y agoThat wouldn't pass the scratch test mentioned above. The gold plating would wear off (and gold doesn't hold well to tungsten, usually requiring an intermediary layer like titanium or copper.)
- alphydan 9y agoBecause every till assistant was listening in physics class and knows how to calculate the specific gravity of that ring people want to barter with in an emergency.
- lightedman 9y agoHey, current till assistants think $2 bills are fraudulent.
- digi_owl 9y agoWhat made gold a currency was not the metal, it was the stamp of the local ruler underwriting the claimed value. The metal was just a convenient pick because it was useless for tool and weapon making, and didn't degrade quickly if left in some damp place.
- dredmorbius 9y agoLow melting point also makes it relatively easy to re-form and test for purity if that becomes necessary.
- firethief 9y agoI see you're on the market for tungsten...
- lightedman 9y agoI can tell the difference quite easily. That 7% weight difference by size is quite noticeable. I mine both in Southern California.