1. Minerals

2. 1) Specific Gravity Today
Mineral Properties
The following are a list of physical properties that minerals could display:
1) Specific Gravity Today
2) Hardness
3) Cleavage Versus Fracture
4) Streak
5) Luster
6) Colour
7) Others
Taste, Feel, Magnetism, Acid Test, Crystal Form, Smell, Double Refraction, Tenacity, and Fluorescence.

3. Specific Gravity
Specific Gravity (SG): is the mass of a mineral compared to that of an equal volume of water.
To determine specific gravity, you need to carry out the following three steps:
Weigh the specimen in air and record the weight. 1)

4. Specific Gravity 2)
Weigh the specimen submerged in water and record the weight.

5. Specific Gravity
Calculate specific gravity (SG) using the following formula: 3)
Specific Gravity = weight in air weight in air - weight in water
Note that if a cubic centimeter of a mineral weighs three times as much as a cubic centimeter of water, then its specific gravity is 3.
With a little practice, you can estimate the SG of minerals by “hefting” them in your hand.

6. Specific Gravity = Density
Note: (In Reference to Core Lab #3)
Because pure water at 4ºC has a density of 1 g/cm3, the specific gravity is equal to its density. Thus, Specific gravity = Density. Specific gravity has no units (it is simply a number), whereas density has units (i.e. g/cm3).
To determine density you need to:
1) Use a scale to measure the mass of the mineral sample.
2) Find the volume of the mineral sample.
3) Calculate density (which equals specific gravity).
Density = Mass(mineral) Volume(mineral)
= Specific Gravity

7. Specific Gravity
Given: 1mL = 1cm3 = 1g, we know the weight of an equal volume of water in grams. We can then use the following formula to calculate specific gravity:
Calculation
S.G. = W(mineral) W(water)

8. Specific Gravity
Given: 1mL = 1cm3 = 1g, we know the weight of an equal volume of water in grams. We can then use the following formula to calculate specific gravity:
Calculation
S.G. = W(mineral) W(water)
S.G. = =
S.G. = =

9. Sample Problem
Explain how the specific gravity of a mineral is determined.
Answer:
Specific gravity compares the weight of a mineral to the weight of an equal volume of H2O.
Find the mass of the mineral; using a scale or balance.
Find the volume of the mineral; using the water displacement method.
Find the weight of the mineral in water; by suspending the mineral from the spring scale and weighing it immersed in water.
Use the formula;
S.G. = density = m/v OR
S.G. = (weight of mineral in air)
(weight in air) - (weight in H2O)

10. Will be completing two Assignments and a lab on this topic