16 January 2009

An answer

  1. What is the formula?
    This is not the world's most elegant solution, but it works:

Lead at 1.34 g/cm3
Tin at 7.31 g/cm3
Antimony at 6.697 g/cm3
Silver at 10.49 g/cm3

(11.34*(1-x) + 7.31(1+x))/2 = 10.49
11.34-11.34x + 7.31 +7.31x = 20.98
18.65 -4.03x = 20.98
-4.03x = 2.33
x = -0.63385742

Therefore:
.7890819 cm3 Lead plus .2109181 cm3 Tin weighs the same by volume as 1 cm3 Silver

Using the same formula:
.81692871 cm3 Lead plus .18307129 cm3 Antimony also weighs the same by volume as 1 cm3 Silver.

Add the two formulas together and divide by two, the final formula is
0.803005305 cm3 Lead
0.105459050 cm3 Tin
0.091535645 cm3 Antimony
= by weight by volume of 1.0 cm3 Silver

The proportions are remarkably similar to the proportions of Lead, Tin, and Antimony found in Lead type, forged by Gutenberg.

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