A crystal of sodium chloride breaks cleanly when broken parallel to a cleavage plane, but shatters when the knife is placed at an angle to the cleavage plane.
A knife is placed on a large sodium chloride crystal parallel to a cleavage plane. When the knife is tapped, the crystal breaks cleanly, creating two smaller crystals. When one of these crystals is tapped with the knife at an angle, it shatters, breaking along a cleavage plane rather than parallel to the knife blade.
Credits:
- Design, Demonstration and Production
- John W. Moore University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI 53706
- Lynn R. Hunsberger University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292
- Steven D. Gammon University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843
- Text
- Kelly Houston Jetzer University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI 53706
- John W. Moore University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI 53706