Hi there! Have you ever wondered how money is made? Let’s explore this fascinating topic together!
In the United States, money is usually dark green. But did you know that in other countries, money can be all sorts of colors? For example, money from the Netherlands is super colorful, and old money from France was bright green. One of the French bills even had a picture of a famous scientist named Marie Curie!
Our friend Shamsia asked a great question: “How is money made?” She wasn’t talking about earning money, but about how the actual paper money is created.
Have you ever used a photocopier? You might wonder why we can’t just copy money to have as much as we want. Well, there’s a big reason why we can’t do that. It’s called counterfeiting, and it’s against the law. If everyone could print their own money, it wouldn’t be special or valuable anymore.
In each country, the government is in charge of making money. They make sure only a certain amount is made each year. Money comes in two forms: coins and paper money, also known as cash.
Even though we call it paper money, it’s not made from the same paper we use for writing. In the United States, money is made from a mix of cotton and linen, which are materials also used in clothes and towels.
Expert artists called engravers spend a lot of time designing the money. They create detailed pictures and patterns to make it hard to copy. For example, the $10 bill has a picture of Alexander Hamilton with lots of tiny details that are tough to copy.
Money has special features to prevent counterfeiting. For instance, if you hold a U.S. $5 bill up to the light, you might see a watermark, which is hard to copy. There are also tiny red and blue threads woven into the fabric of the money.
All these special features make it very difficult for anyone to make fake money. That’s why only the government can produce real money, ensuring it stays valuable and secure.
Thanks to Shamsia for her awesome question! Remember, there are many mysteries in the world, so keep asking questions and stay curious. See you next time!
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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(phone ringing) – Hi, it’s Doug. Here in the United States, where I live, money is typically dark green. However, in other countries, money comes in a variety of colors. This is one of my favorites; it’s money that used to be used in the Netherlands. Look how colorful that is! Here’s another favorite example. This one is bright green and is an old one from France. It’s not worth anything anymore, but I like it because it features one of my favorite scientists, Marie Curie, along with her chemistry experiments on the back.
Someone named Shamsia has a question about money. Let’s give her a call now. (phone ringing) – Hi, Doug. – Hi, Shamsia. – I have a question for you. How is money made? – That’s a great question. There are many ways that people earn money, which we often refer to as “making money.” But I assume Shamsia is asking how the actual money itself gets made—this stuff, cash.
Have you ever used a photocopier? If you have, you might have thought about this: If cash is just paper, why can’t you just use a photocopier to make copies of money and then be rich? Imagine running out of money—no problem, just copy more of it! You could buy anything you want, right? But why don’t most people do that? It’s actually an interesting question. Take a moment to think about it. Why don’t people just photocopy money to have unlimited amounts?
Now that you’ve thought about it, here’s the answer: It’s against the law for a person to make copies of money. This is called counterfeiting, and people can face serious consequences for doing it. The reason it’s illegal is not immediately obvious. If everyone could just print as much money as they wanted, money wouldn’t be special anymore; it wouldn’t hold any value if there were an unlimited supply.
That’s why, in each country, money is usually produced by the government, which carefully controls how much money is made each year. When we talk about money, we typically think of two forms: coins and cash, or paper money. The government wants to prevent money from being easily copied, as that would render it worthless. So, when they print money, they implement various features to make it difficult to replicate.
For example, while we call it paper money, it’s not made from the same paper we write on. If it were, it would be easier to copy and wouldn’t last as long. In the United States, money is made from a mixture of cotton and linen, similar to the materials used in many clothes and towels, but much thinner.
Now, let’s see how it’s made. Expert artists called engravers spend months creating detailed portraits and designing the different bills. The designs are intricate and complex to make copying more challenging. For instance, look at Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill; even a copy machine would struggle to capture some of the fine details.
These designs are stamped onto the cotton and linen sheets using special colored ink. After that, the sheets are cut and stacked before being released to the banks. To make counterfeiting even more difficult, additional hidden features are included. For example, if you’ve ever held a U.S. $5 bill up to the light, you might notice a watermark, which doesn’t appear when photocopied. It’s very hard to replicate a watermark.
Another feature to look for on U.S. money is the little red and blue threads woven into the fabric. These are added to the cotton and linen mixture before the designs are stamped on. All of these features—the cotton and linen, the watermark, the colored threads—are designed to make money very hard to counterfeit.
In summary, cash money isn’t something that just anyone can print. The government carefully controls its production and incorporates special design features to prevent counterfeiting. That’s all for this week’s question. Thanks, Shamsia, for asking it!
Now, for the next episode, I reached into my question jar and chose three questions that I’m considering answering. When this video is done, you’ll get to vote on one. You can choose from: Who invented trains? Why does snow melt? Or what’s the coldest place on Earth? I want to hear from all of you watching. There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious, and see you next week!
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