0
True or false the composition of a penny is 97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
True and False. If the coin is dated 1983 and newer, it is indeed 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper. However, if it is dated 1981 and earlier, then it is 95% copper. During 1982, the US Government decided that pennies were too expensive to make with so much copper. So they decided to use zinc, with is strong and also cheaper. These newer pennies are only coated with copper.
One can easily decide the content by its weight. The newer zinc pennies weigh only 2.50 grams, whereas the older copper-rich pennies weigh 3.11 grams.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Why is the penny no longer 99 percent copper?
In 1982, the composition of the penny was changed from 95% copper/5% zinc to 97.5% zinc/2.5% copper (in the form of a thin 100% copper plating on a 100% zinc planchet). This was done because the price of the copper in a 95% copper cent was greater than one cent.
What is a 1963 us penny made of?
A 1963 Lincoln cent has a composition of .950 copper and .050 zinc. This copper alloy was used from 1962 to 1982.
What is the 2007 penny made out of?
Beginning in 1982 the composition of the US cent was changed to a coin with a core of 99.2% zinc and 0.8% copper with a plating of pure copper.
What did the penny become less than 100 percent copper?
Over time there is less copper so you have to use zinc instead. A lot had to do with the World War II.
Was there any penny's made of metal other than copper?
During World War II the United States needed copper for the war effort and so in 1943, 1944 and 1945 the penny was minted using zinc-coated steel. In 1982 the coin's composition was changed to copper-plated zinc. The total copper content is now only 2.5% by weight.
What is the metallic composition of a penny?
The metal composition of penny coins made after 1982 is 97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper. The first penny coins, from 1793 to 1837, were made from pure copper.
What is the metallic composition of a penny between the year 2000-2008?
Percent Composition by mass: 97.5% Zinc, 2.5% Copper
Why is the penny no longer 99 percent copper?
In 1982, the composition of the penny was changed from 95% copper/5% zinc to 97.5% zinc/2.5% copper (in the form of a thin 100% copper plating on a 100% zinc planchet). This was done because the price of the copper in a 95% copper cent was greater than one cent.
Is a penny iron?
no a penny is copper... Actually not since 1982.... In the middle of that year the rising price of copper forced the Mint to change the coin's composition to zinc with a thin copper plating. The copper plating is only 2.5% of the coin's composition.
What is the amount of zinc in a penny?
There is 97.5 percent zinc in a penny and 2.5 percent copper
Is a penny tin?
From 1793 to 1837 a penny was made out of pure copper. Now it is 95 percent copper and 5 percent tin and zinc.
How much copper is in a 1970 penny?
Those are 95 percent copper. A US penny weighs 3.11 grams. Of that, 2.9545 grams is copper.
What is the percentage composition of zinc in a modern penny?
99.2% Zinc .008% copper
What is the percentage of copper in a 1993 penny?
2.7 percent
Could your steel 1943 penny be plated on top and be original copper?
The original composition is steel not copper, many have been copper plated.
What is the composition of a 1901 Indian head penny?
The composition is .950 copper & .050 tin and zinc, also known as Bronze.
What is the composition of a 1927 British Penny?
The 1927 British Penny was made from 95.5% copper, 3% tin, and 1.5% zinc.
