Topaz has a Mohs hardness of 8. What value is this on the Mohs scale?

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Multiple Choice

Topaz has a Mohs hardness of 8. What value is this on the Mohs scale?

Explanation:
Hardness on the Mohs scale is a relative ranking of scratch resistance from 1 to 10. A higher number means a mineral can scratch those with lower numbers and can be scratched only by minerals with even higher numbers. Since Topaz has a Mohs hardness of 8, its value on the scale is 8. This places it between quartz (7) and corundum (9): it can scratch minerals with lower numbers and can be scratched by minerals with higher numbers like corundum and diamond (10).

Hardness on the Mohs scale is a relative ranking of scratch resistance from 1 to 10. A higher number means a mineral can scratch those with lower numbers and can be scratched only by minerals with even higher numbers. Since Topaz has a Mohs hardness of 8, its value on the scale is 8. This places it between quartz (7) and corundum (9): it can scratch minerals with lower numbers and can be scratched by minerals with higher numbers like corundum and diamond (10).

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