EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Mohs hardness, rough measure of the resistance of a smooth surface to scratching or abrasion, expressed in terms of a scale devised (1812) by the German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs. The Mohs hardness of a mineral is determined by observing whether its surface is scratched by a substance of known or defined hardness.

Detailed explanation-2: -Hardness. The ability to resist being scratched-or hardness-is one of the most useful properties for identifying minerals. Hardness is determined by the ability of one mineral to scratch another.

Detailed explanation-3: -Abrasion characteristics of any material are a function of hardness, concentration and particle size. Hardness is typically measured on the Mohs scale, where a diamond is 10 and talc is 1. A higher Mohs hardness will scratch or abrade a material with a lower number. Calcium carbonate is a soft mineral with a Mohs of 3.

Detailed explanation-4: -What are the characteristics of minerals? Minerals are identified with eight main properties: crystal habit, lustre, hardness, cleavage, break, colour, line, and specific gravity.