Density (also known as specific gravity) is an important physical property of minerals (physical properties are measurable and apply to the characteristics of a substance). The formula for density is as follows:
Density = mass / volume
Units that are usually used for density are grams per milliliter (g/mL) and grams per centimeter cubed (g/cm^3).
The density of a mineral can be measured using different apparatuses and techniques. Besides using a simple balance (to determine the mass) and water displacement (to determine volume, these techniques include the jolly balance or psychnometers.
The jolly balance and beam balance methods are best suited for mineral specimen work. The pycnometer is best suited for the density measurement of fine and small particles. The steps for each method are identified via the links listed below:
Jolly Balance instructions: http://davehirsch.com/other/Jolly%20Balance.htm
Psychrometer instructions: https://staryweb.fpharm.uniba.sk/fileadmin/user_upload/english/Fyzika/Density_determination_by_pycnometer.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment