Nickel

Nickel is a hard, silvery metal that resists corrosion and is magnetic. Most comes from Indonesia, with large amounts also mined in the Philippines, Russia and Canada; Earth's core is thought to be mostly iron and nickel. Most nickel is used to make stainless steel, and it is increasingly important in electric-car batteries.

In the television's electronics, nickel works as a protector and a barrier. It coats each neodymium magnet to stop it corroding. Thin nickel layers on the ends of every resistor and ceramic capacitor keep solder from dissolving the electrodes underneath. And inside each ceramic capacitor, up to hundreds of nickel electrodes are stacked between the ceramic layers.