Question Sheet: Gold’s Glittery Rewards

SCIENCE

Before reading:

  1. What sorts of things are made from gold?
  2. Why is gold so valuable and expensive?

During reading:

  1. What uses does gold have? See www.gold.org/discover/sci_indu/index.html(World Gold Council).
  2. How much does an ounce of gold cost?
  3. How is gold’s malleability important to its historical significance?
  4. What is 14-karat gold?
  5. Why is gold useful in electronics?
  6. The article says that “we’ve also launched gold into space.” What does this
    statement mean?

After reading:

  1. In what ways is gold like money? When would you want to own gold instead of
    having currency, such as U.S. dollars? See www.gold.org/value/markets/index.html(World Gold Council).
  2. What is a karat (or carat)? Where did the name come from? What other meaning
    does the word “carat” have? See www.answers.com/topic/karat(Answers.com).
  3. Compare the advantages of 14-karat gold to those of 24-karat gold for
    jewelry. Which would you rather have jewelry made from? Why? See www.goldinspirations.com/content/en/flash/48/ (World Gold
    Council).
  4. Gold doesn’t corrode. Why is that fact important? What metals do corrode?
    See www.corrosion-doctors.org/MatSelect/corrmetals.htm (Corrosion
    Doctors).
  5. How has gold been important in the history of the Americas? How did the hunt
    for gold influence the early exploration and settlement of North America? See www.nwtmintbullion.com/gold_history.php (Northwest Territorial
    Mint).
  6. What uses does gold leaf have? How would an artist or jeweler apply a thin
    layer of gold leaf to a surface? How could such methods be used for technology
    as well as for art? See www.studioarts.co.uk/links/hintsandtips/
    gildinggoldleafhintsandtips.htm     (Studio Arts).

SOCIAL STUDIES

Where does most of the gold now mined in the United States come from? Where would you go to pan for gold? See pubs.usgs.gov/gip/prospect1/goldgip.html and pubs.usgs.gov/gip/prospect2/prospectgip.html (U.S. Geological Survey).

LANGUAGE ARTS

  1. Find a story in which gold plays a key part. Describe the role that gold
    plays in the story.
  2. A haiku is a type of Japanese poetry. The first line usually contains five
    syllables, the second line seven syllables, and the third line five syllables.
    Compose a haiku that includes the word “gold.” See www.usagold.com/hall/haiku.html (Michael J. Cosares).

MATHEMATICS

You are given 18 gold coins, but you find out that one of the coins (you don’t know which one) is fake and weighs less than any of the others. How can you detect the false coin using a normal balance scale only three times?