Editing Wire (section)

== Uses ==
{{see also|Copper wire and cable}}
{{Update-EB|section=y|date=August 2020}}
[[File:Piano string detail2.JPG|thumb|upright|Close-up of strings of [[piano wire]] shows "overspun" [[helix|helical]] wire wrapping added to main carrier wires.]]
[[File:Wire-bonded Germanium Diode.jpg|thumb|right|[[Germanium diode]] bonded with gold wire]]

Wire has many uses. It forms the raw material of many important [[Manufacturing|manufacturers]], such as the [[wire netting]] industry, engineered springs, [[Lamé (fabric)|wire-cloth]] making and [[wire rope]] spinning, in which it occupies a place analogous to a [[textile]] [[fiber]]. Wire-cloth of all degrees of strength and fineness of mesh is used for sifting and screening machinery, for draining paper pulp, for window screens, and for many other purposes. Vast quantities of [[Aluminum wire|aluminium]], [[Copper wire and cable|copper]], [[nickel]] and [[steel]] wire are employed for telephone and [[data cable]]s, and as conductors in [[electric power transmission]], and [[electrical heating|heating]]. It is in no less demand for fencing, and much is consumed in the construction of [[suspension bridge]]s, and cages, etc. In the manufacture of stringed musical instruments and scientific instruments, wire is again largely used. Carbon and stainless spring steel wire have significant applications in engineered springs for critical automotive or industrial manufactured parts/components. Pin and [[Hairpin (fashion)|hairpin]] making; the needle and [[fish hook|fish-hook]] industries; nail, peg, and rivet making; and [[carding]] machinery consume large amounts of wire as feedstock.<ref name="EB1911"/>

Not all metals and metallic [[alloy]]s possess the physical properties necessary to make useful wire. The metals must in the first place be [[ductile]] and strong in tension, the quality on which the utility of wire principally depends. The principal metals suitable for wire, possessing almost equal ductility, are [[platinum]], [[silver]], [[iron]], [[copper]], aluminium, and [[gold]]; and it is only from these and certain of their [[alloy]]s with other metals, principally [[brass]] and [[bronze]], that wire is prepared.<ref name="EB1911"/>

By careful treatment, extremely thin wire can be produced. Special purpose wire is however made from other metals (e.g. [[tungsten]] wire for [[light bulb]] and [[vacuum tube]] filaments, because of its high melting temperature). Copper wires are also plated with other metals, such as tin, nickel, and silver to handle different temperatures, provide lubrication, and provide easier stripping of rubber insulation from copper.

Metallic wires are often used for the lower-pitched sound-producing "strings" in [[stringed instruments]], such as [[violin]]s, [[cello]]s, and [[guitar]]s, and percussive string instruments such as [[piano]]s, [[dulcimer]]s, [[dobro]]s, and [[cimbalom]]s. To increase the mass per unit length (and thus lower the pitch of the sound even further), the main wire may sometimes be [[helix|helically]] wrapped with another, finer strand of wire. Such musical strings are said to be "overspun"; the added wire may be circular in cross-section ("round-wound"), or flattened before winding ("flat-wound").

Examples include:

* ''Hook-up wire'' is small-to-medium gauge, solid or stranded, insulated wire,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vashielectricals.com/c/wires-cables/|title=Types of Wire|language=en|access-date=2020-05-14}}</ref> used for making internal connections inside electrical or electronic devices. It is often tin-plated to improve [[solderability]].
* ''[[Wire bonding]]'' is the application of microscopic wires for making electrical connections inside [[semiconductor]] components and integrated circuits.
* ''[[Magnet wire]]'' is solid wire, usually [[Copper wire and cable|copper]], which, to allow closer winding when making [[electromagnetic coil]]s, is insulated only with varnish, rather than the thicker plastic or other insulation commonly used on electrical wire. It is used for the winding of [[Electric motor|motors]], [[transformer]]s, [[inductor]]s, [[Electric generator|generators]], [[loudspeaker|speaker]] coils, ''etc.'' (''For further information about [[copper wire and cable|copper magnet wire]], see: [[Copper wire and cable#Magnet wire (Winding wire)]].'').
* ''[[Coaxial cable]]'' is a cable consisting of an inner conductor, surrounded by a tubular insulating layer typically made from a flexible material with a high dielectric constant, all of which is then surrounded by another conductive layer (typically of fine woven wire for flexibility, or of a thin metallic foil), and then finally covered again with a thin insulating layer on the outside. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis. Coaxial cables are often used as a transmission line for radio frequency signals. In a hypothetical ideal coaxial cable, the electromagnetic field carrying the signal exists only in the space between the inner and outer conductors. Practical cables achieve this objective to a high degree. A coaxial cable provides extra protection of signals from external electromagnetic interference and effectively guides signals with low emission along the length of the cable which in turn affects thermal heat inside the conductivity of the wire.
* ''[[Speaker wire]]'' is used to make a low-resistance electrical connection between loudspeakers and audio amplifiers. Some high-end modern speaker wire consists of multiple electrical conductors individually insulated by plastic, similar to [[Litz wire]].
* ''[[Resistance wire]]'' is wire with higher than normal resistivity, often used for [[heating element]]s or for making wire-wound [[resistor]]s. [[Nichrome]] wire is the most common type.