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The unknown mineral is not a mineral, or the pieces being scratched or doing the scratching are not freshly fractured or cleaved surfaces.

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15y ago

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What does it mean when a mineral can scratch another mineral?

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.


What mineral property are you testing if a fingernail scratches a mineral?

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).


Describe how to distinguish between a mineral with a hardness of 6 and one with a hardness of 4 using only a glass plate and a copper penny?

To distinguish between a mineral with a hardness of 6 and one with a hardness of 4, you can use the glass plate and the copper penny for comparison. First, scratch the mineral against the glass plate; if it scratches the glass, it has a hardness greater than 5. Then, use the copper penny to scratch the mineral; if the mineral scratches the penny, it has a hardness greater than 3. If it scratches the glass but not the penny, it has a hardness of 6; if it scratches the penny but not the glass, it has a hardness of 4.


What is the hardness of a mineral if it scratches a penny but will not scratch glass?

Between 3.5 and 5.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.


What mineral can scratch feldspar but not quartz?

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.


What is hardness sometimes referred to as scratch-ability?

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.


What is the hardness of a mineral that scratches gypsum?

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.


What mineral scratches calcite but it scratched by apatite?

The mineral that scratches calcite but is scratched by apatite is fluorite. Fluorite has a hardness of 4 on the Mohs scale, which allows it to scratch calcite (hardness 3), while apatite has a hardness of 5 and can scratch fluorite. Thus, the relationship between these minerals aligns with their respective positions on the Mohs hardness scale.


What is relative hardness of a mineral can be best tested by?

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.


What hardness does a mineral have if it does not scratch glass but scratches an iron nail?

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.


Measure how easily a mineral can be scratched?

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.


What hardness does a mineral have if it does not scratch glass but it scratches iron nail?

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!