Guide · Science
Gold science
Gold as a metal: where it comes from, how it is weighed and measured, and what it does in a medal or a mirror. Each article answers its question first, then gives the detail and the sources.
Gold is dense, 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter by the US Geological Survey’s figure, so a little goes a long way. A modern Olympic gold medal holds about 6 grams of it over sterling silver; the mirrors of the Webb telescope carry about 48 grams, a layer 100 nanometers thick. The articles work from published figures like these and show the arithmetic.
Quick answers
How much gold is in an Olympic gold medal?
About 6 grams. A modern Olympic gold medal is a silver medal covered with a coat of pure gold: at Rio 2016 the winner’s medal held 494 grams of sterling silver and 6 grams of gold, out of 500 grams.
How much gold is on the Webb telescope mirror?
About 48 grams, or just over 1.5 troy ounces: NASA calculates 48.25 grams for a layer of gold 100 nanometers thick on the mirror’s 18 segments.
How dense is gold?
19.3 grams per cubic centimeter, according to the US Geological Survey. Six grams of gold melted into a cube would measure about 6.8 mm on each side.
More on the same subject: gold facts.