3 ms·
Tungsten is noticeably lighter, by about 7%. Hand-in-hand comparison with another similar-sized bar of pure gold would give it away instantly.
by lightedman 9y ago
Tungsten 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.)