The Gold reference article from the Simple Wikipedia on 01-May-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Gold

Gold is a soft, heavy, yellow metal that has been used for many thousands of years by people all over the world, for jewelry, as money, and now in electronic parts such as computers.

In chemistry, gold is element 79, a transition metal in Group 11. It has an atomic weight of 199.96 a.m.u. Its symbol is Au, from the Latin word for gold, aurum.

Gold is very malleable, which means it can be hammered into thin sheets, and ductile, which means it can be pulled into wire. When it is used in money or in jewelry, it is often mixed with silver or some other metal to make it harder.

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