Why Gold Is the Ideal Metal for Currency

But how could the US magically print trillions of dollars if it was tied to gold.

US dollar is no longer tied to gold reserves. It is under-written by global oil trade at gun point

I have to disagree that gold is not the ideal metal. It is too soft and would wear away quickly.

That is why most countries use lead to support their currencies.

The professor should look up "forgery" and "coining" and why gold coins, in particular, but silver too, needed a "knurled edge" and economic concept of "creating credit"

And of course as said above (double negative typo adjusted) pure gold wears quickly, so is a fairly stupid choice for a "means of exchange", more a choice for hoarding in a vault.

Or most of the "ideally" are in fact "not"

If you reran it, would the same choice be made?

Probably yes - because it's the one that stays shiny.

But you can always find a tunnel vision academic to 'rationalise' an impractical emotion based approach, if it will get them quoted. Which is why they can't solve 'climate change'

Gold is soft enough so if you don't like the king's face you can stamp your own "coin of the realm". Thus not only a means of economic exchange, also a means of political change.

Gold coins are suitable for clipping small pieces off of, by leprechauns. Without these, there would be no point searching for the end of rainbows.

I get where 'forgery' and 'em-bezel-ment' come from.. but what's the knurled edge?

knurled and shaped coins are so that you can determine the coin value in your pocket without light or vision...

this enables undervisioned people and underilluminated circumstances. but that makes the holograms hard to see too.

or so I was told.

chris

Wot Cris said these days - but it originates as a method of revealing leprechauns have been shaving the edges of gold or silver coins...... or they know how to put back the knurl.

I see Jimmy Wales don't seem to know this, but ;

And extra anti scraping measures

Originally it was the ancient gods who wanted the gold. (and stones) and taught us humans how to get it and work it.

Chris