In Physical balance i found a triangle shaped material on which the balancing rods rests.. My Physics teacher told it is one of the strongest material after Diamond! I just want to clarify about that!
2007-01-22 19:50:07 · 5 answers · asked by Garush 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Ok, agate is layered chalcedony, with a Moh's hardness of 8. Corundum (ruby, topaz, emerald, etc....) is the hardest mineral after diamond with a Moh's hardness of 9.
Easy to confuse, not the same thing. Agate is Not the hardest mineral after diamond.
Strongest? There are lots of minerals with a tensile strength greater than diamond. Plenty of minerals which are less brittle. So, that's a possibility.
2007-01-22 22:28:35 · answer #1 · answered by Theresa A 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Agate is just silica, like quartz. It is harder than the metal components of the balance, and so hard enough to serve its purpose. (A diamond balance fulcrum would be overkill.)
BTW "strongest" and "hardest" materials are two very different things. Some hard materials are actually quite brittle, lacking tensile strength.
2007-01-22 20:32:48 · answer #2 · answered by Jerry P 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Impossible!
Silicon Carbide [SiC] has the value 9 on moh`s scale andis the second hardest substance after diamond.
2007-01-24 00:40:53 · answer #3 · answered by Sweetos 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
according to wikipedia, agate is only a 7 on the mohs hardness scale, so it can be scratched by materials such as topaz, corundum, etc.
2007-01-22 20:13:57 · answer #4 · answered by blah 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i still think its kryptonite
2007-01-22 20:40:32 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋