The unknown mineral is not a mineral, or the pieces being scratched or doing the scratching are not freshly fractured or cleaved surfaces.
When a mineral can scratch another mineral, it means that the mineral is harder than the mineral it can scratch. Hardness is a measure of a mineral's resistance to being scratched, with the Mohs scale commonly used to rank minerals based on their hardness.
Between 3.5 and 5.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.
Apatite is a mineral that can scratch feldspar but not quartz. This is because apatite has a higher hardness value than feldspar but a lower hardness value than quartz on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.
The mineral that scratches gypsum has a hardness greater than 2 on the Mohs scale. Gypsum has a hardness of 2 on the Mohs scale, so any mineral that can scratch it must have a hardness greater than 2.
The mineral would have a hardness between 5.5 and 6.5 on the Mohs scale. It cannot scratch glass (hardness of about 5.5) but can scratch an iron nail (hardness of about 4). This places it in the range of minerals like orthoclase feldspar or apatite.
When a mineral can scratch another mineral, it means that the mineral is harder than the mineral it can scratch. Hardness is a measure of a mineral's resistance to being scratched, with the Mohs scale commonly used to rank minerals based on their hardness.
If a fingernail can scratch a mineral, you are testing the mineral's hardness. Hardness is a measure of a mineral's resistance to being scratched by other materials. Minerals are ranked on the Mohs scale of hardness from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest).
Between 3.5 and 5.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.
Apatite is a mineral that can scratch feldspar but not quartz. This is because apatite has a higher hardness value than feldspar but a lower hardness value than quartz on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.
Hardness is sometimes referred to as scratch-ability because it measures a material's resistance to scratches or abrasions. Materials with higher hardness are less likely to get scratched easily compared to materials with lower hardness.
The mineral that scratches gypsum has a hardness greater than 2 on the Mohs scale. Gypsum has a hardness of 2 on the Mohs scale, so any mineral that can scratch it must have a hardness greater than 2.
The relative hardness of a mineral can be best tested by conducting a scratch test against common minerals with known hardness values, such as the Mohs Scale of Hardness. By observing which mineral scratches another, you can determine the relative hardness of the unknown mineral.
The mineral would have a hardness between 5.5 and 6.5 on the Mohs scale. It cannot scratch glass (hardness of about 5.5) but can scratch an iron nail (hardness of about 4). This places it in the range of minerals like orthoclase feldspar or apatite.
The Mohs scale of mineral hardness is used to measure the scratch resistance of a mineral. It ranks minerals from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest) based on their ability to scratch or be scratched by another mineral. The scale is a qualitative measure that helps in identifying minerals based on their hardness.
Mineral hardness measures the resistance of a mineral to scratching or abrasion. It is determined by the ability of a mineral to scratch another mineral or be scratched by it, as defined by the Mohs scale of hardness.
The unknown mineral would have a hardness greater than 5.5 (the hardness of glass) but less than 7 (the hardness of quartz). Based on the Mohs Hardness Scale, the unknown mineral would likely have a hardness between 6 and 7.
The hardness would be between 4.5 and 5.5 on the Mohs scale. I actually think it would be 4.5, but to be safe, I would put between 4.5 and 5.5. Hope that helps!