Rocks+and+Minerals


 * Misconceptions **
 * 1) Rocks and minerals are the same thing.
 * 2) All rocks are all the same.
 * 3) Minerals are not important to my life.
 * 4) All minerals are the same.
 * 5) Minerals don’t have specific names.
 * 6) Humans can make rocks and minerals.
 * 7) Any crystals that scratches glass is a diamond.
 * 8) Only "Pretty" rocks are crystals

 A few simplified definitions to understand what a mineral is, what rocks are and why a crystal is a crystal.  **Minerals**: //A mineral is an inorganic, naturally occurring, organized crystalline structure composed of a single chemical compound or element in a solid state. (i.e. NaCl or S)//
 * Correct Information **
 * Crystal **//: A crystal is an orderly arrangement of molecules formed because the component atoms and ions tend to aggregate together in certain specific patterns. //
 * Rock **: //A rock is (generally) a natural solid composed of multiple crystals of one or more minerals. Although many rocks contain visible crystals of individual minerals, a rock itself does not have an overall crystalline structure.//


 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Minerals are the basic building blocks of rocks; rocks are made of different minerals and different percentages of each particular mineral.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Rocks come in three basic forms/types. Each type undergoes different processes. Each types of rock contain different minerals and amounts of minerals.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Igneous
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Metamorphic
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Sedimentary
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Minerals such and Halite (NaCl, Sodium Chloride)Sulfur (S) & Copper (Cu) to name a few, played important role in the development of life and still are an important part of sustaining current life.
 * 7) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">All minerals have similar features but are chemically different. Quartz (SiO2) the most common of the minerals on Earth's surface has many different varieties base on its chemical formula.
 * 8) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Minerals have names and a lot of them a
 * 9) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Humans can __alter__ minerals such as carbon to make diamonds through various different. This merely rearranges the structure of the carbon. Diamonds crystallizes in the Isometric system and graphite crystallizes in the hexagonal system. Both are still 100% carbon and both are still minerals.
 * 10) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The hardness scale to identifying minerals is not truly complicated as you might think. The test for //Relative Hardness// of a sample is by scratching the surface of a crystal or cleavage face with an item of known hardness. The contents of a hardness kit a pocket knife or a construction nail, a copper penny, a piece of window glass and the use of your finger nail.
 * 11) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Fingernail = 2.5
 * 12) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Copper Penny = 3
 * 13) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Pocket Knife = 5+
 * 14) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Window Glass = 5.5
 * 15) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">While it is true that most __crystals__ are pleasant to look at, once again a rock is made of minerals but not all rock contain crystals and not all crystals are pleasant. (see below)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">While good definitive explanations for the misconception of rocks and minerals really do not seem to exist; a few ideas arose from over all Geoscience courses that may contribute to the problem.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Origins of Misconceptions **
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">While Earth Sciences have been studied for centuries a lot of the theories involved are relatively new. The theory of plate tectonics was developed in early 20th century and was not widely excepted until in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The study of rocks typically gets over looked as a important science. Students only get basic Geology in middle school then move on to Biology, Chemistry, Zoology, or Physics.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Geology tends to deal with "long time," even most adults have a difficult time contemplating 200,000 years, never mind 200 million years.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Most of the Geoscience systems are large scale and are typically field work extensive processes. Classroom experiments that could assist in education are typically just basic.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Usage of the terms in everyday life doesn't reflect scientific definition. Most people contribute minerals with vitamins and do not associate the minerals in the bottle with the rocks in the mountains.
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Publishers tend to oversimplify diagrams or pictures to cut cost in development of the book.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">References <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu (2005) //Common Misconceptions About Rocks and Minerals — Rocks and Minerals — Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears//. [online] Available at: http://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/issue/rocks-and-minerals/common-misconceptions-about-rocks-and-minerals [Accessed: 21 Apr 2013]. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Gilbert, J. (2010) //Inquiry Based Elementary Science Lesson//. [online] Available at: http://wveis.k12.wv.us/teach21/public/iblp/GuideV.cfm?rtype=SSLP&tsele1=3&tsele2=103&upid=3632 [Accessed: 19 Apr 2013]. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">King, Chris John Henry. "An analysis of misconceptions in science textbooks: Earth science in England and Wales." //International Journal of Science Education// 32.5 (2010): 565-601. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Personal.psu.edu (2008) //Common Misconceptions about Rocks - DI Block Fall 08//. [online] Available at: http://www.personal.psu.edu/ark5033/blogs/social_studies_in_the_elementary_classroom/2008/10/concept-interview-and-misconceptions.html [Accessed: 20 Apr 2013]. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Roseburg.k12.or.us (1998) //Misconceptions//. [online] Available at: http://www.roseburg.k12.or.us/depts/educate/science/elementary/misconceptions.html [Accessed: 24 Apr 2013]. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Webmineral.com (1974) //Crystallography//. [online] Available at: http://webmineral.com/crystall.shtml [Accessed: 24 Apr 2013].