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Jason English
Lunchtime Quiz #1: Our Hardest Quiz Ever!
by Jason English - February 13, 2009 - 11:30 AM

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In the early 19th century, German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs developed a practical method for comparing the hardness of minerals. Reader Anna M. Powlus of Berwick, Pennsylvania, wants to know how many of the ten minerals in Mohs’ scale you can name in 3 minutes.

Take the Quiz: Mohs’ Hardness Scale

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Comments (11)

  1. Hey Jason – did you ever post the winner for last week’s Friday Happy Hour (A Growing Pains Conundrum & Another Book Giveaway)?? I’ve been checking all week but it’s possible I just missed it…

    posted by Josh on 2-13-2009 at 12:24 pm

  2. Seriously? This is the quiz???? I love science and I don’t even know what the Moh’s hardness scale is! Can we get something a bit more user friendly next time. . .

    posted by Mavis on 2-13-2009 at 1:21 pm

  3. Mavis, just because you don’t know what it is doesn’t mean anything. Moh’s hardness scale is a geology/petrology scale of how hard a mineral is. Talc at the bottom (most easily scratched), diamond at the top (hardest to scratch).

    I got 6/10 right away, and then gave up on the other 4.

    posted by Mark on 2-13-2009 at 1:33 pm

  4. Love it! I would have aced this quiz a few years ago–I had to memorize the scale for a college Geology course. As it stands, I remembered talc and diamond. I’m just proud to have gotten the two ends of the spectrum!

    posted by Orange on 2-13-2009 at 1:36 pm

  5. Heck yeah! Did it with 4:10 to spare. Would have been faster but I can never spell flourite, uh floorite, um fluorite right… don’t mess with the Geo!

    There’s only one quiz I can think of that a Geologist could solve quicker… that would be a beer label identification quiz.

    posted by Jason! on 2-13-2009 at 1:52 pm

  6. I surprised myself by recalling 6 — and it’s been over 30 years since I studied these in Jr. High science. “Feldspar” – now how on earth did I recall that? Those last four — when I ran out of time and the quiz displayed what they were — sure I was gonna get those: I’m gonna baptize my daughters with those names

    posted by Karl on 2-13-2009 at 2:03 pm

  7. Damn you, feldspar! I made up a song long ago to learn these, but feldspar fell through the cracks. 90%.

    posted by Leisa on 2-13-2009 at 3:01 pm

  8. Arrgh — only got 3.

    posted by Nerak on 2-13-2009 at 3:08 pm

  9. Excellent quiz! Got the top 5 and bottom 3. I always remembered using graphite for number 1 in school, but it wasn’t on the list. Then I just guessed at talc. I remembered the top 3 were gemstones, but couldn’t remember which was number 8. Kept typing guesses till I got it.

    posted by Scott on 2-13-2009 at 3:37 pm

  10. I found it quite handy to consult my geologist girlfriend and we (she) managed to get all ten with 2:30 left. I had the darnedest time getting fluorite spelled correctly, and she forgot about feldspar for a little bit. I knew diamond and talc.

    posted by Matt on 2-14-2009 at 3:22 am

  11. Dost mine eyes deceive me, or does the quiz say that we have three minutes when, in fact, the nifty little clock has bestowed us an extra two? I wouldn’t mention it, and probably shouldn’t, as it is a nice benefit, but the only one I could name anyway was diamond, because I am an idiot and have just as much a head for geology as a cabbage.

    posted by Allison on 2-14-2009 at 10:36 am

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