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Animal, Vegetable, Mineral

Accession number: 
1975.0024
Production Years: 
1975

Languages:

Film Properties: 
Length (minutes): 
30
Holding Institutions: 

University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario: 16mm.

Bibliography: 

University of Waterloo Audiovisual Services Catalog:
"In this program different properties and characteristics of minerals are explored, along with their contribution to technology. The fundamental characteristic of minerals is that they occur naturally within the earth's crust. The narrator examines some rock formations for mineral extrusions, and some minerals are shown unassociated with other formations. Some minerals classified as gemstones can be cleft because of their crystalline structure. The differences between 'crystal' and 'crystalline' are explained, and the narrator discusses the six different geometric structures of crystals, and provides an example of each. People's awareness of minerals has been recorded for a long time evidence exists of knowledge of the use of different minerals in the cultures of Sumaria, Egypt, ancient Israel, and ancient Rome. Throughout the ages, chemists have been identifying minerals. Each mineral has its own chemical composition and formula. Structure also determines the mineral; for example, the difference between graphite and diamond is a structural one. The fabrication of synthetically-produced minerals is demonstrated, and the unique properties of individual minerals and the technology used to identify them are discussed. Minerals are a resource of the earth—their physical and chemical properties play an important role in the history of man. Without the knowledge gained from and about them, technology as it is today could not exist."