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  • Essay / Crystal growth

    Crystal growthI am interested in crystal growth. The growth of crystals has fascinated me since I was little. I've never had the opportunity to grow crystals, so this is very exciting for me. I will experiment with size and time. I'm going to make one crystal bigger than the other and see if it takes longer to grow. I hope you enjoy my article. My project focuses on the characteristic size of crystals. In my project, I will make one crystal larger than the other. I'm going to find out which one takes the longest to grow. I won't add coloring to mine as it might affect it. The type of crystal I will be growing is made from borax. Borax has been around since the 8th century. One of the many oldest uses of borax is cleaning sinks. We now use borax to make slime, crystals, laundry detergent, and many other things. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original EssayTo grow these crystals, you will need white pipe cleaners, water, borax, wire or string, chopsticks, borax, food coloring (optional), measuring spoon and a clear, heat-resistant container/beaker. First take three pipe cleaners and twist them into a spool. Next, attach a piece of thread to your spool and attach the thread to a wand. Next, get the beaker or glass container and pour water into it. Bring the water to a boil after adding the borax. I would suggest nine tablespoons of borax per 3 cups of water. If you want the crystals to be colored, add food coloring now. Place the coil in the water where the ends of the wands are on the outside. Cover the top of the beaker with cardboard and wait. I would wait all night or at least eight hours. Once the time is up, remove the coil and you should have a borax crystal. Crystals are solid materials in which molecules are arranged in a repeating pattern. Crystals come in many different forms. For example, a thin, radiant crystal is called an acicular crystal. Rounded kidney-like nodules are called kidney-shaped crystals. The thin, overlapping sheets of a crystal are called lamellar. Columns of terminated crystals are called prismatic crystals. The definition of prismatic is that it has the shape of a prism. The branched plant-like growth is known as dendritics. (Anna S. Sofiandes and George E. Harlow)A goniometer measures the angles between the faces of a crystal. Each crystal face is unique in its own way, but the same crystal will have the same face. They are all from different angles. One could be a 90 degree angle and the other a 73 degree angle. (Anna S. Sofiandes and George E. Harlow)Crystal growth can go in either direction. For example, one crystal may be perfectly fine but the other less so. Even if you used the same recipe. Why then? You may have accidentally made one of the cups with water too cold, or you took it out too late or too early. Growing crystals can be very simple if you follow the instructions. Crystals may vary in size. The largest crystal is 12 m (39 ft) long and 4 m (13 ft) in diameter. Although the smallest crystal may be found in your home in winter, it is an ice crystal. An ice crystal is also called a snowflake, it is the smallest crystal. Each snowflake or ice crystal is unique. God made everyone special. (Anna S. Sofiandes and George E. Harlow)Did you know you can eat crystals? Table salt, yes, salt.