Copper is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity.
Core Principles & Analysis
Copper has been worked since prehistory and smelted since about 5000 BCE, and its alloy with tin defined the Bronze Age; the name derives from Cyprus, Rome's great copper source.
It conducts electricity better than any metal except silver, is one of the few metals with a natural color other than gray, and its surfaces kill many bacteria on contact.
Electrical wiring and electronics consume the majority of copper, with plumbing, brass, and bronze taking much of the rest.