People (especially radio amateurs) get very hung up on using silver plated wire for inductors. Anyone with an >iota of curiosity (read: diligence) can quickly establish that the conductivity and skin depth advantages of >silver over copper are less than 6%. Given that the Q of an inductor is influenced far more by geometry, that is >where to focus.
It sounds like I have to focus on the silver wire in the first case to get a presentable result.
I think the professor is just having fun with his students, although there an alternative interpretation.
That may or may not be important to you, possibly depending on whether you are being paid for what you do.
I can't give a feedback to this point. But it is very hard to discover how to get a result with such a circuit and null skills.
