Minerals are what cause water to be hard, tap water in east coast(NJ) is harder than tap water in CA. More minerals=harder water
hardness define minerals
The Mohs Scale of Hardness determines the hardness of minerals by scratching them with commonly found objects. The minerals are assigned a number which corresponds to their hardness; higher numbers indicate higher hardness.
There is a scale of mineral hardness therefore obviously some will be softer than "4" and others harder because "4" is jut one point on that scale.
Mohs hardness scale
A minerals hardness is the ability to scratch or be scratched by other minerals and streak is the colored powder of a mineral that comes off when being scratched.
hardness define minerals
The Mohs Scale of Hardness determines the hardness of minerals by scratching them with commonly found objects. The minerals are assigned a number which corresponds to their hardness; higher numbers indicate higher hardness.
The hardness of MINERALS.
Relative hardness is the property of minerals that uses the Mohs scale for classification.
There is a scale of mineral hardness therefore obviously some will be softer than "4" and others harder because "4" is jut one point on that scale.
The Mohs Scale is what is used to measure the relative hardness, or scratch resistance, of minerals. Mohs hardness often agrees with absolute hardness, which is another way of measuring the relative hardness of minerals.
Some minerals have varying hardness according to the direction you may scratch
Any mineral with a hardness greater than that of fluorite which is 4 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Examples include quartz, orthoclase, garnet, diamond, etc.
dimands
Granite is not assigned a number on the Mohs scale of hardness. The Mohs scale is a measurement of the relative hardness of minerals. Because granite is a rock composed of a variety of minerals, only the individual minerals which compose it have a Mohs hardness.
According to the Mohs scale of hardness, Diamond has a hardness of 10 and Quartz has a hardness of 7. Any mineral with a hardness greater than 7 can scratch quartz and diamond can scratch any mineral with a hardness less than 10. Corundum (hardness of 9) and Topaz (hardness of 8) are two examples of minerals that can scratch quartz but not diamond.
Mohs hardness scale