A cubic centimeter of quartz, olivine, and gold weighs 2.5, 3.0, and 19.8 grams, respectively. This indicates that______ .
A) gold has a higher specific gravity than quartz and olivine
B) olivine and quartz powders are harder than metallic gold
C) gold and olivine are silicates, whereas quartz is elemental silicon
D) gold is 6 to 7 times harder than olivine and quartz

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Specific gravity is the ratio of the weight of a substance to the weight of an equal volume of water, and it is used to compare the densities of different materials. The higher the specific gravity, the denser the material. Therefore, since gold has a higher weight per volume than quartz or olivine, it has a higher specific gravity.

A Cubic Centimeter of Quartz, Olivine, and Gold Weighs 2