Can you please explain the observation that a copper wire will bend smoothly around a finger, whereas a mild-steel wire will kink and deform to a polygonal shape?
Thank you for your question. I know exactly what you mean… I have used wire that just kinks like that! I am not really an expert on the composition of various metals, but I would guess that copper wire is flexible because it is pure copper. Steel can be made from a number of metals, including iron, nickel, etc. and I would think the [molecular] structure of such an alloy would be less homogeneous in nature, so it would have weak spots more likely to kink.
