What is zinc's hardness (high, medium or low) I found the number on a hardness scale, (2) but I have no idea how the scale works, and if this would be considered high.
check your book
To determine whether zinc's hardness is high, medium, or low, we need to understand how the hardness scale works. The hardness scale commonly used in mineralogy is called Mohs scale of mineral hardness. It measures the scratch resistance of minerals or other solid substances.
The Mohs scale rates minerals from 1 to 10, where 1 is the softest and 10 is the hardest. Each mineral can scratch all minerals ranked below its own number but can be scratched by minerals ranked above it.
Now, you mentioned that zinc has a hardness of 2 on this scale. Since zinc has a relatively low hardness rating, it means it is a relatively soft metal compared to other substances. For perspective, talc is the softest mineral with a rating of 1, whereas diamond is the hardest mineral with a rating of 10.
In conclusion, zinc's hardness rating of 2 on the Mohs scale suggests that it is considered fairly low on the hardness scale, indicating that it is a relatively soft metal.