The History of Copper
The name copper comes from cuprum, which is Latin for the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. This was because the Romans got most of their copper from Cyprus. Copper was the first metal ever to be mined and used to make things, by man. It is not certain where and when copper was first found, but it is very possible that is was first discovered 9000 B.C. in Iran. The first uses for it were very likely jewelry and decorations, but a few millennia later, it was used for utilities such as weapons and tools, which was before iron was discovered which was a much better metal to make weapons and tools with. Then copper was soon used as currency; Even our own, the penny. It also became very useful for piping because copper doesn’t rust as easily as other metals, so water can be sent through. More modern uses for copper are medical, because like iron, we need a certain amount of copper in our blood. One of the most important uses for it is electrical wiring, because copper is very conductive.

Where We Get Copper
Copper is a transition metal that comes from the crust of our earth. 70 parts to a million of our crust is copper. It is also relatively close to the surface, so it is very easy to mine, which is also why it was probably the first metal ever discovered. We get copper from all around the world. Even though we get copper is mined in over 50 nations, most of the copper humans use, comes from America, Chile, Indonesia, and Peru. In America, our copper is mainly in Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico.

Copper Alloys
The two most common copper alloys, are brass and bronze. Brass consists of mainly copper, and some zinc. It is used in instruments, and low-pressure piping. This is because brass doesn’t rust easily, so water can be carried through it, but it isn’t strong enough to be used in high-pressure systems. Bronze on the other hand is made up of about 90% copper and 10% tin. Unlike brass, it is very strong, but susceptible to corrosion, and rust.