The very first design of the penny was proposed by Benjamin Franklin. "The penny was the first currency of any type to be authorized by the United States." ("Penny History") The first penny was also 50% larger than the penny we have today! The United States Mint began producing pennies in 1793. The penny was made of 100% percent copper until 1837. From 1837 to 1857, pennies were a mixture of copper, zinc, and tin. Finally, in 1982, the United Sates Mint started producing copper-plated zinc pennies made of zinc with an outer layer of copper. We still use this type of penny today.
In Ancient Greece, some people were trying to "unravel nature's secrets". One step in "unraveling nature's secrets" was to sort all different kinds of substances.
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A criteria that everyone agreed with was the taste. They classified taste in four different categories, salty, sour, sweet, and bitter. In the future, "in the 1700th century, a chemist named Robert Boyle first labeled substances as either acids or bases." (Carpi) If the substance tasted sour, is corrosive to metals, changed litmus to red, and becomes less acidic when mixed with bases, he would classify it as an acid. If the substance felt slippery, changed litmus to blue, and becomes less basic when mixed with acids, he would classify it as a base. Coins can get dirty or tarnished in many different ways.
Tarnished means to dull the luster of; discolor. Coins can get dirty from rain, dirt, and other environmental hazards. Humans can even contaminate coins with dirt and bacteria in their hands. Also, "The atoms of the coins can combine with oxygen molecules in the atmosphere in a chemical process called oxidation." (Deziel) Oxidation is to form or cause to form a layer of metal oxide, as in rusting. In this chemical process, the atoms of the coins combine with oxygen atoms in the air to create corrosion on the coins. The corrosion can make the coin look dirty, or can even change the color of the …show more content…
coin! Some solutions clean better than others based on their PH level. PH is the symbol used to express the acidity or alkalinity of a solution based on a scale of 0 to 14. If the substance has a PH level of less than 7, then the substance is acidic. If the substance has a PH level of more than 7, then the substance is basic (alkaline). If the substance has a PH level of the midpoint, 7, then the substance is neutral. The PH levels of the solutions I will be using in my experiment range from acidic to basic. Water (PH level of 7) is the only neutral solution I will be using. Dish Soap (PH level of 7.5-9) is the only basic solution I will be using. Cola soda (PH level of 2.5), vinegar (PH level of 2.9), and orange juice (PH level of 3-5) are the acidic solutions I will be using. Acids, substances that have a PH level lower than 7, usually taste sour or bitter.
Some examples of acids include coffee, soda, orange juice, and lemon juice. When used in cleaning products, acids help break down stains like rust or mineral deposits. "Acids clean by attacking, dissolving, and breaking down the stains making them easier to remove." ("High pH = Basic (alkaline)") Bases, substances that have a PH level higher than 7, are usually bitter and are sometimes called alkalines. Basic solutions are used to remove fatty and oily soils from surfaces. "Basic solutions attack fatty and oily soils, breaking them into component parts that are easier to remove from surfaces or fabrics." ("High pH = Basic (alkaline)") One example of cleaning with bases is when you clean your hands with soap. Other basic solutions are used to clean and disinfect surfaces in your home such as bleach or all purpose
cleaners. When pennies get dirty, acids and bases can be used to clean them. Acids can clean coins by attacking, dissolving, and breaking down the stains making them easier to remove. Acids can dissolve the rust on the pennies to make them appear shiny and clean. Most bases are used to clean fabrics, surfaces, and even your hands, but can be used to clean pennies. Bases clean by attacking fatty and oily soils, breaking them into component parts that are easier to remove from surfaces or fabrics. Bases can be useful for cleaning oils or maybe dirt off coins.
The penny costs 1.4 cents to manufacture each time at the mint. This is causing the mint to lose money for the treasury. Last year, the mint earned $730 million dollars in profit. Many mint officials claim the estimation will be about $45 million due to the cost of metals made in pennies. Our country is continuing to have a very strong economy with the stock markets going up. The penny might affect these benefits from the rapid production of these coins. Copper and zinc are the main elements that compose the penny. With the rising costs of these elements, the economy may back up a bit. Because of this, the U.S. mint should reduce their penny production.
In America’s modern day economy, the penny is very useless and irrelevant in our society today. As source C states, “The time has come to abolish the outdated, almost worthless, bothersome, and wasteful penny.” There is not one item that can be purchased with a penny anymore (Source C). As source C states, “it takes nearly a dime to buy what a penny bought back in 1950.” Stores such as the Dollar Store prove how the cheapest items you can purchase are with only a dollar, not a cent. Pennies are shoved out of the economic picture by credit cards and because of the modern-day technology, there are even self-service machines that help convert coins into paper money (Source B). Furthermore, pennies are easily tossed into piggy banks or appear behind chair cushions. It is not used the same way as it was before.
The story of the penny starts on 1792 it came with several different coins including the dime, nickel, quarter, and half penny. The pennies were first made out of 100% copper but the price of the copper went up, because of inflation the power of the penny went down. The cause of the mint to reduce the amount of copper in pennies first from 100% to 95% but then to 5% copper and 95% zinc. Despite the debate in 2006 the value of metal on older pennies rose over one. They became more dead than alive so people began to melt and sell.
According to source #4, it states, “The one cent has influenced our language, giving us a number of idioms, such as ‘a penny for your thoughts’ (a way to ask what someone is thinking) and ‘not one red cent’ (meaning no money at all).” This is significant because it shows that the penny has affected the English language, giving the language more idioms to use. It is often said that pennies should not be manufactured anymore due to their excessive cost of manufacturing and distribution. Yes, numerous people do acknowledge that fact, but the government can also propose that pennies are to use inexpensive metal, like steel, which makes the entire coin industry save money and has the cost of coins to be cheaper to make.
It has been said that Lincoln was not the first face on the penny, “Benjamin Franklin reportedly designed the first American penny in 1787(Cohen).” Back then the penny was known as “Fugio” and it had an image of a sun and sundial above the message “Mind Your Business.” Also, on the cent appeared a chain with thirteen links, each represents the first colonies established, and on the other side of it was the motto “We Are One”. It was not until 1909 that Teddy Roosevelt introduced the Lincoln cent to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of America’s 16th president birth. Then fifty years later the Lincol...
The Penny is a wonderful coin. It might only be worth one cent but that one cent can help people in all sought's of situations. The penny should kept in circulation. There are many people that use the penny still in today’s society.
Millions of Americans work full-time, day in and day out, making near and sometimes just minimum wage. In 1998, Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them in part by the welfare claim, which promises that any job equals a better life. Barbara wondered how anyone can survive, let alone prosper, on $6-$7 an hour. Barbara moved from Florida to Maine to Minnesota, working in the cheapest lodgings available and accepting work as a waitress, hotel maid, house cleaner, nursing home aide, and Wal-Mart salesperson. She soon realizes that even the lowliest occupations require exhausting mental and physical efforts and in most cases more than one job was needed to make ends meet. Nickel and Dimed reveals low-wage America in all of its glory, consisting of
There is a side to this debate where the penny could win and stay in circulation. To start, the penny has been around for years and years and it has seemed to work for this whole time. This is true, the penny has been around and can be used still in everyday life. The turn side of this, though valid, is with systems changing is is becoming more and more rare for the penny to have a true dire need. One other strong reason to keep the penny alive would be charity. Charity relies on those people who do not necessarily care enough to keep the pennies t drop them off in the donation box. That though, has a simple solution. If the penny were no longer around nickels and dimes would begin to be the change customers and users are no longer wanting. Charity then in result
The penny has been in America for centuries, it's a sentimental object for Americans everywhere. However many have debated on whether or not it should be eliminated or continue being made. The penny should be preserved because it is apart of American culture, given to charity, and keeps items cheap.
A buyer brings along with him snacks that he would like to purchase in a dollar store: chocolate chip cookies, a Pepsi, gummy bears, and a bag of chips. He waits in line, eager to consume this huge delight. It is his turn, and he hurriedly placed his treats on the counter, waiting anxiously to pay immediately. The cashier replies to him, “The price will be $5.99, sir.” The buyer takes out five one-dollar bills and four quarters. Not an instance did he ever use a penny in this case, which he thought was useless and meaningless. As you can see, the penny has become quite worthless and diminished in purpose. Many citizens would prefer to round up and pay rather than spend time and look in their
In recent years the cost of pennies have risen to about 1.7 cents to produce one penny. The cost of producing one penny is nearly the worth of two pennies. In 2014 the United States lost nearly 130 million dollars by producing eight billion pennies which is an exorbitant amount of money.The last time Congress voted on whether or not to get rid of the penny the consensus was to keep it since the price to keep it was not very much over the worth of the coin. The non-sensible price of producing the penny is just one of the reasons the United states should abolish the penny. One of the main reason that the penny is so high in price is due to the main metal component of the penny which is zinc that has risen greatly in
There are many monuments and traditions that are important for the U.S. that need to be remembered due to the show our past and will shape our future. The penny is part of the America culture and is even seen as ‘lucky’ when found. The penny is essential in a person’s everyday life which will guide the nation upward economically.
This piece of evidence comes from Greg Mankiw in an article by PBS news “It costs the mint well more than a cent to make a penny” (Mankiw) This shows that we should stop producing the penny because it makes no sense to make something that is not worth the money you spent to produce it. Another quote comes from The Washington Post “I am able to report that…drugstore chains have estimated that handling pennies adds 2 to 2.5 seconds per cash transaction. Assume that the average citizen makes one such transaction every day, ...so futzing with pennies costs him $3.65 annually. “ (Mallaby) This quote proves that pennies waste money because by physically paying with pennies you waste money, it might seem like a small amount but with millions living here it adds up. A final piece of evidence is from a PBS newshour article “the government continues to mint four billion pennies every year, even when it costs 1.8 cents to mint one penny. That means the U.S. government pays $8 million more than pennies are worth.” (Solman) This quote shows that the U.S. waste a ridiculous amount of money every year making pennies. The penny should be eliminated because it waste our money even though there are some
The simplest experiment for this type of situation would be to use red and blue litmus paper to distinguish between acids, bases and salts. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) makes blue litmus paper change color going from blue to red, making it an acid. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) makes red litmus paper change color going from red to blue, making it a base. Sodium chloride solution (NaCl) is neutral, since it would only soak blue and red litmus paper, considering that it is a by product of when an acid and a base mix together, neutralizing each other.
Commemorative coins are a certificate for significance. This year Colonial WIlliamsburg is granting a Commemorative coin to one building. There are many structures that could possibly get the coin. The four main structures are the Magazine, the Bruton Parish, the Governor's Palace, and the Williamsburg Capitol Building. Only one building unquestionably deserves this award and that building should be the Williamsburg Capitol Building. This memorable building has historical significance, relevance today, and plays a major role in following a superb mission statement, “That the future may learn from the past”.