3
SCIENCE PRACTICAL
Name: _______________________________________________
Course: _____ Date: _______
The hardness of minerals
PHOTOCOPIABLE MATERIAL
/ © Oxford University Press España, S. A.
Geology 1.º ESO
Objective/Introduction:
This experiment will help you to identify the hardness of minerals and to classify them
according to this property.
Materials
•
Five different minerals, e.g. Talc, Calcite, Apatite, Orthoclase and Quartz
•
A pointed knife
•
Sandpaper
•
Glass
Method
1. Take the minerals two by two and try to scratch them against each other.
2. Rank the minerals according to hardness, i.e. from the one that can be scratched by all the others to
the one that can’t be scratched by any.
3. Try to scratch the minerals with your fingernail.
4. With your fingernail first and then the tip of a knife, try scratching the minerals that could not be
scratched by any of the other minerals.
5. Now use sandpaper to try to scratch the minerals that could not be scratched with your fingernail or a
knife.
6. Now use the glass to try to scratch the minerals that could not be scratched with your fingernail, knife
or sandpaper.
7. Record all your results using the table below.
Analysis of results
In order to analyse the results and compare minerals, use a table like the one below for each of the
samples analysed:
Name of the
mineral
Minerals used
for scratching
Minerals that
were
scratched
Scratched by
your
fingernail
Scratched by
a knife
Scratched
by a
sandpaper
Scratched
by a glass
Hardness
Talc
Calcite
Apatite
Orthoclase
