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It relative hardness, compared to others. It is relative because it does not give absolute values.

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12y ago

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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).


What is the characteristic of a mineral that is revealed by testing what substances can scratch it and what the mineral can scratch?

it is hardness


How could you find out the relative hardness of three minerals if you had no tools and couldn't use your fingernail?

You could perform a scratch test by trying to scratch one mineral with another. Whichever mineral leaves a mark or scratch on the other is harder. By comparing the results of scratching each mineral with the others, you can determine their relative hardness.


How can you tell if a mineral can scratch another mineral?

You can tell if a mineral can scratch another mineral by performing a scratch test, where you use the hardness scale to compare the minerals. If the mineral you are testing can scratch the other mineral, then it has a higher hardness on the scale.


What PROPERTY are geologists testing when they do a SCRATCH test?

Hardness


A mineral that can by a steel file The property you are testing is the mineral's?

Hardness


What is it called when you scratch a mineral across a plate to see its color?

It is called streak testing.


What is it called when you perform a scratch test on a mineral?

It is called a streak and its purpose is to find the hardness of the mineral.


What kind of test is it when you scratch a mineral with a nail?

Most likely you would be testing to see if the mineral was harder or softer than the nail.


Does the density of a mineral depend on the size of the mineral sample?

No, to tell how hard a mineral is you either have to test it or determine what mineral it is. Testing uses materials of known hardness such as a fingernail, or copper penny, or scratch plate, if the mineral is scratched by whatever you use to test it is softer. Hardness however is not based on size it will be the same for any sample of the same rock no matter what the size because its based on atomic arrangement and bond type.


How to determine the hardness of a mineral?

The hardness of a mineral can be determined by using the Mohs scale of hardness, which ranks minerals from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest). This scale is based on the ability of one mineral to scratch another. By testing the mineral's resistance to scratching with common objects of known hardness, such as a fingernail (2.5), a copper penny (3.5), a steel nail (5.5), and a glass plate (5.5), you can determine its hardness level.


How do you determine the hardness of a mineral and what methods are used for testing it?

The hardness of a mineral is determined using the Mohs scale, which ranks minerals from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest). This scale is based on the ability of a mineral to scratch another mineral. To test the hardness of a mineral, various methods can be used, such as scratching it with a known mineral or using a tool like a hardness testing kit.