By adding other metals like chrome and nickel to the mix. the resulting alloy is the strongly corrosion resistant.
Oversimplifying it alot: Iron + Carbon --> High Carbon Steel High Carbon Steel + Chromium & other surface alloy metals --> Stainless Steel Basically Stainless Steel is ordinary Steel with a surface Chrome Steel layer protecting it from corrosion.
The improvement from iron to stainless steel is that another metal alloy had been created. This new alloy allows for improvements to life in general since it has other uses than that of ordinary iron. Surgical instruments come to mind, they would not exist as we know them without the evolution of metallurgy which made stainless steel and many other useful alloys possible.
Stainless steel is stronger and retards rust unlike iron
Chromium and nickel are metals mixed with iron. Carbon is also added.
The four main elements in stainless steel are iron, chromium, nickel, and carbon. These elements interact to provide stainless steel with its unique properties such as corrosion resistance, strength, and durability.
There's a fundamental problem with the question. Iron is not a "mineral" in the usual sense of the word. Elemental iron is too reactive to be found in nature as a mineral. Leaving that aside... Steel is not "iron". It's mostly iron, with a small admixture of other stuff. So it's not the same as elemental iron, but it's pretty close.
stainless steel
Good quality stainless steel should never rust. I have noticed that the high iron content in our water causes red particles of iron oxide to remain on stainless steel vessels - and it looks exactly like rust but its just the iron in the water drying out on the stainless steel.
Yes, stainless steel is not magnetic in the same way as materials like iron, nickel, and cobalt. A regular magnet will not stick to stainless steel, although some types of stainless steel can become weakly magnetic through processes like cold-working.
Chrome is used with iron to create stainless steel alloys.
Stainless Steel; all other choices are elements - stainless steel is a steel alloy (composite elements).
No, stainless steel is not a non-ferrous metal. It is an alloy made of iron, chromium, nickel, and other elements. Stainless steel contains a significant amount of iron, which is a ferrous metal.