76 Minerals in a Computer-High

Minerals in a Computer FOCUS Question Why do we use Earth's minerals in computers?

计算机中的矿物焦点问题为什么我们在计算机中使用地球上的矿物?

Everyday Minerals What occurs in nature but is not alive? Minerals! All minerals are solid. They are all around you— you use them every day. Some minerals, such as rubies and diamonds, are used to make jewelry. Minerals are in your pencil and your bicycle. Others are added to food. Minerals are even in toothpaste and deodorant. Still others are used in electronics. A computer contains more than 60 minerals! Let's find out which minerals are used in computers. Do You Know? Quartz is the most common mineral on Earth. It is also the most common mineral in your computer. It is in the monitor and the computer itself.

日常矿物质在自然界中存在但不是生命的东西是什么? 矿物质!所有的矿物都是固体的。 它们就在你身边——你每天都在使用它们。 一些矿物，如红宝石和钻石，被用来制作珠宝。 矿物质在你的铅笔和自行车里。 其他的则被添加到食物中。甚至牙膏和除臭剂中也含有矿物质。 还有一些用于电子产品。 一台电脑含有60多种矿物质!让我们来看看电脑中使用了哪些矿物质。 你知道吗?石英是地球上最常见的矿物。 它也是电脑中最常见的矿物质。 它在显示器和计算机本身。

Minerals in Computers Computers use some minerals that are common on Earth. They also use some minerals that are rare. The mineral quartz is in rocks all over Earth's surface. Even though it is common, quartz is extremely important. Quartz is a hard mineral. It is used in glass, ceramics, and construction materials. In computers, quartz is in the circuits and chips that control your computer. A computer chip is a tiny electrical conductor. Quartz can be used in many different ways. Your computer would not work without it! Certain minerals are rare and useful. Gold and silver are examples. They are hard to find. Another rare and valuable mineral is cassiterite (kuh-SIT-ur-ite). We get the metal tin from cassiterite. Gold, silver, and cassiterite are all used to make computer chips.

计算机使用一些地球上常见的矿物质。 他们也使用一些稀有的矿物质。 石英矿物遍布地球表面的岩石中。 尽管石英很常见，但它却极其重要。 石英是一种坚硬的矿物。它被用于玻璃、陶瓷和建筑材料。 在计算机中，石英存在于控制计算机的电路和芯片中。 计算机芯片是一个微小的电导体。 石英有许多不同的用途。 没有它你的电脑就不能工作!某些矿物是稀有而有用的。 金和银就是例子。 他们很难找到。另一种稀有珍贵的矿物是锡石(kuh-SIT-ur-ite)。 我们从锡石中得到金属锡。 金、银和锡石都被用来制造电脑芯片。

Lithium Powers Up Lithium is a lightweight mineral. It is often used as a power source in certain kinds of batteries. This includes batteries that power many computers. Lithium is also mixed with other substances to make lightweight metal alloys. An alloy is a combination of two or more metallic elements. Many different rocks contain lithium. After lithium is removed from rock, it must be stored under special conditions. Why? It corrodes, or breaks down, in air. In other words, it is highly reactive to air. Reactive substances can release energy. How might this be useful in a battery?

锂是一种轻质矿物。 在某些类型的电池中，它经常被用作电源。 这包括为许多电脑供电的电池。 锂还可以与其他物质混合制成轻质金属合金。 合金是两种或两种以上金属元素的结合体。 许多不同的岩石都含有锂。 锂从岩石中取出后，必须在特殊条件下储存。 为什么?它在空气中腐蚀或分解。 换句话说，它对空气高度反应。 活性物质能释放能量。 这对电池有什么用处呢?

Conductive Minerals Have you ever seen a shiny, new penny? The penny has a copper coating. Copper is a metallic mineral. Gold, silver, and lithium are other metallic minerals. Metals are shiny. They can be bent and shaped. Heat and electricity move easily through them. This is why copper is used in electrical wires. Copper is also used in many different computer parts. Think About It Gold and silver are flexible, metallic minerals that conduct electricity, just like copper. Why aren't they used in common electrical wires?

你见过闪闪发光的新便士吗? 硬币有一层铜涂层。 铜是一种金属矿物。 金、银和锂是其他金属矿物。 金属是闪亮的。它们可以被弯曲和塑形。 热和电很容易通过它们。 这就是铜被用于电线的原因。 铜也用于许多不同的计算机部件。 金银和铜一样，都是柔韧的金属矿物，能导电。 为什么它们不在普通的电线中使用?

Silicates All Around! The outer layer of Earth is called the crust. The circle graph above shows the elements in Earth's crust. Silicon and oxygen are the most common elements. When they combine, they form silicate (SILL-uh-kit) minerals. Silicates are the most common kind of minerals in Earth's crust. Can you guess the most common silicate mineral? That's right— quartz! It is made of only silicon and oxygen. Its chemical name is silicon dioxide (dye-OX-ide).

到处都是硅酸盐!地球的外层叫做地壳。 上面的圆形图显示了地壳中的元素。 硅和氧是最常见的元素。 当它们结合时，就会形成硅酸盐(SILL-uh-kit)矿物。 硅酸盐是地壳中最常见的一种矿物质。 你能猜出最常见的硅酸盐矿物吗? 没错——石英!它只由硅和氧构成。 它的化学名称是二氧化硅(染料氧化)。