Question

# Iron pyrite is a lustrous yellow mineral that consists of iron and sulfur. Its common name is fool's gold. Design a procedure to measure one of its characteristic physical properties so that you can distinguish it from real gold.

Solution

Verified

In order for us to distinguish iron pyrite from gold, we can check the density of the material. Density is a characteristic physical property of a substance because it remains constant regardless of the size or amount of the sample. Moreover, it is unique to the substance.

To get the density, get the mass and the volume of the substance. Next, the mass of the substance must be divided into its volume. If the density of the substance is 19.32 g/cm$^3$, then it is gold. However, if the density of the substance is 5.01 g/cm$^3$, then it is iron pyrite.

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