Do Cables Wear Out?

JWP, just because you are older than me (you have a lot of experience) doesn't mean that you understand oxidation nor corrosion in metals. Silver oxide or sulphide which someone thoughtfully pointed out might conduct better than copper, but not better than silver. Insulated wire is not exposed to the atmosphere and thus does not coorode there, but at the exposed ends. I too would like to know the increase in resistance in a piece of wire after 10 years.
Salut, Bob P.

Spl, not all commentary on breakdown or other issues, comical or not, serves us IF the comments are incorrect or misleading. Pabelson's comments are correct. BTW, Jwpstayman, silver oxide IS NOT a good conductor, but it does serve to protect the rest of the silver from corrosion, which is not true of cuprous oxide which just continues to grow if still exposed to air. The inner core is not exposed to air and therefore no corrosion happens and no corrosion happens at the outside of the copper wire either if it is insulated.
Cleaning the silver oxide on contacts is beneficial as it is on copper contacts.
Bob P.

Huh, now we can use outdoor speakers to do testing of the audibility of corrosion in copper wires, when a much more accurate visual test is available to detect corrosion. Maybe the difference has more to do with the fact that you have cut off a small piece of copper and then the connection is better and you could have abtained the same result by cutting off the cable when new and not submitted to so-called corrosion.
Salut, Bob P.