system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why is it "bronze > silver > gold > platinum" the scale used when awarding something? Why aren't other metals used?
gpt
Silver, gold, and platinum are used because they are precious metals and since awards are decorative it makes sense that you would use a decorative metal to represent them.

On the other hand, bronze has also been used because it's cheap and durable, so it makes sense to use as an award for someone that is fairly common.

The order represents the relative scarcity, expense of that metal which is typically aligned with the magnitude of the award.