Derivation of [3-23]

Identities

The density, ρ, of a two-mineral mixture of M grams and volume

V cm3 is:
M
ρ= grams/cm3 [1]
V

If the mixture contains MD grams of one mineral and MH grams of

the other, and the densities of the two minerals are ρD and ρH
respectively, the volumes of the two minerals in the mixture are:

MH MD
VH = and VD = [2]
ρH ρD

The volume proportions pV and qV of the two minerals in the

mixture are:

VH VD
pV = and qV = [3]
V V

The weight proportions pM and qM of the two minerals in the

mixture are:

MH MD
pM = and qM = [4]
M M

We also have the following exact statements:

pV + qV = 1 [5]
pM + qM = 1 [6]
VH + VD = V [7]

1
MH + MD = M [8]

Relation between weight and volume proportions

From [1], [7] and [8]. The density of the two-component mixture
is:

M MH + MD M
ρ= = = [9]
V V VH + VD

Or:

MH MD M 1
+ = = [10]
V V VH + VD VH VD
+
M M

From [2] and [10]:

VH ⋅ ρ H VD ⋅ ρ D 1 ρD ⋅ ρH
+ = =
V V MH MD ρD ⋅ M H ρH ⋅ M D
+ +
ρH ⋅ M ρD ⋅ M M M
[11]
From [3], [4], [5] and [11]:

ρD ⋅ ρH
pV ⋅ ρ H + qV ⋅ ρ D = (1 − qV )ρ H + qV ⋅ ρ D =
pM ⋅ ρ D + qM ⋅ ρ H

Or:

ρD ⋅ ρH
qV (ρ D − ρ H ) = − ρH
pM ⋅ ρ D + qM ⋅ ρ H

2
 ρ D ⋅ ρ H − p M ⋅ ρ D ⋅ ρ H − q M ⋅ ρ H2 ⋅ ρ H (ρ D − ρ H )q M
= =
pM ⋅ ρ D + qM ⋅ ρ H pM ⋅ ρ D + qM ⋅ ρ H

Or:

qM ⋅ ρ H
qV = [12]
pM ⋅ ρ D + qM ⋅ ρ H

From [5] and [12] we obtain:

pM ⋅ ρ D
pV = 1 − qV = [13]
pM ⋅ ρ D + qM ⋅ ρ H

Solving [13] for qM, substituting pV = 1 – qV from [5] and

pM = 1 – qM from [6], we obtain:

qV ⋅ ρ D
qM = [14]
qV ⋅ ρ D + pV ⋅ ρ H

pV ⋅ ρ H
pM = [15]
qV ⋅ ρ D + pV ⋅ ρ H

Relation between composition and weight proportions

If the two minerals in a mixture have X-contents aD (%) and aH

(%) respectively, and the overall X-content is aL (%), then:

aL
⋅M is the total weight of X in M grams of the mixture,
100

aH
⋅MH is the weight of X in one component,
100
3
aD
⋅MD is the weight of X in the other component, and
100

aL a a
⋅M = H ⋅MH + D ⋅MD
100 100 100

Or:

aH ⋅ M H aD ⋅ M D
aL = + [16]
M M

From [4] and [16}, we obtain:

aL = pM ⋅ aH + qM ⋅ aD [17]

From [6] and [17}, we obtain:

a L = (1 − q M )a H + q M ⋅ a D = a H + q M (a D − a H )

Or:

aL − aH
a L − a H = q M (a D − a H ) and qM = [18]
aD − aH

Similarly:

aD − aL
pM = 1 − qM = [19]
aH − aL

4
Relation between composition and volume proportions

From [12], [18] and [19], we obtain:

aL − aH
⋅ ρH
aD − aH
qV =
aL − aH a − aL
⋅ ρH + D ⋅ ρD
aD − aH aD − aH

Or:

qV =
(a L − a H )ρ H =
qM ⋅ ρ H
[20]
(a L − a H )ρ H + (a D − a L )ρ D qM ⋅ ρ H + pM ⋅ ρ D

Similarly:

pV =
(a D − a L )ρ D =
pM ⋅ ρ D
[21]
(a L − a H )ρ H + (a D − a L )ρ D qM ⋅ ρ H + pM ⋅ ρ D

Relation between densities

The volume of M grams of a two-component mixture of density ρ

is, from [1]:

M MD MH M D ⋅ ρH + M H ⋅ ρH
V= = + =
ρ ρD ρH ρD ⋅ ρH

Or:

M ⋅ ρD ⋅ ρH
ρ=
M D ⋅ ρH + M H ⋅ ρD

5
And from [4]:

ρD ⋅ ρH
ρ= [22]
qM ⋅ ρ H + pM ⋅ ρ D

From [18], [19] and [22]:

ρ D ⋅ ρ H (a D − a H )
ρ= [23]
(a L − a H )ρ H + (a D − a L )ρ D

Note also that, from [20] and [21]:

qV (a L − a H )ρ H
= [24]
pV (a D − a L )ρ D

And from [18], [19] and [24]:

qV q ρ
= M ⋅ H [25]
pV pM ρ D

Number of equant grains in a sample

The principle of equant grains: the sampling characteristics of any

mass of material may be duplicated in a first order approximation,
for a single constituent X, in a hypothetical mixture of two
minerals, each of different X-content and density, in the form of
uniform cubes called equant grains.

If a single cube (i.e., equant grain) of a mineral is d cm to the side

and has density ρH or ρD, its weight is:

d 3 ⋅ ρH or d 3 ⋅ ρ D grams.

6
If M grams of a mixture is made up of MH grams of one mineral
and MD grams of the other:

M = M D + M H = nD ⋅ d 3 ⋅ ρ D + nH ⋅ d 3 ⋅ ρ H [26]

Where nD and nH are the numbers of equant grains of the two

minerals; the total number of equant grains in M grams is:

n = nH + nD [27]

The volume proportions pV and qV of the two minerals are exactly

the ratios of the number of equant grains of each to the total
number of equant grains:

nH nD
pV = and qV = [28]
n n

Or:

n H = pV ⋅ n and n D = qV ⋅ n [29]

To express the numbers nH and nD in terms of weight proportions,

substitute [20] and [21] in [29]:

pM ⋅ ρ D ⋅ n qM ⋅ ρ H ⋅ n
nH = and nD =
qM ⋅ ρ H + pM ⋅ ρ D qM ⋅ ρ H + pM ⋅ ρ D
[30]
Or:

nD =
(a L − a H )ρ H ⋅ n
(a L − a H )ρ H + (a D − a L )ρ D

And

7
nH =
(a D − a L )ρ D ⋅ n [31]
(a L − a H )ρ H + (a D − a L )ρ D

Contribution of a single equant grain

A single equant grain of weight d 3 ⋅ ρ H or d 3 ⋅ ρ D contributes:

d 3 ⋅ ρH d 3 ⋅ ρD
⋅ aH or ⋅ aD %
M M

To the X-content of a M-gram sample. If there are nH + nD = n

equant grains in the sample,

nH ⋅ d 3 ⋅ ρ H ⋅ a H nD ⋅ d 3 ⋅ ρ D ⋅ a D
aL = + [32]
M M

d 3 ⋅ ρH d 3 ⋅ ρD
The quantities ⋅ a H and ⋅ a D are the contributions
M M
CH and CD of single equant grains to the overall X-content of the
sample:

d 3 ⋅ ρ H ⋅ aH d 3 ⋅ ρ D ⋅ aD
CH = and CD = [33]
M M

Thus [32] becomes:

a L = nH ⋅ C H + nD ⋅ C D [34]

Comparison with [17] shows that:

8
pM ⋅ a H = nH ⋅ C H and qM ⋅ a D = nD ⋅ C D [35]

Standard deviation and variance

A characteristic of the Poisson distribution is that the variance s n2

is equal to the average θ:

s n2 = θ or sn = θ [36]

This means that if a large number of samples n are taken, the

standard deviation in the number of low frequency grains is equal
to the square root of the average number of grains found in the
samples.

In practice, one does not usually count grains; concentrations are

measured. The conversion factor from number of grains to per
cent X is C, the contribution of a single grain. See equations [32]
through [35]. The measured standard deviation is then:

s = C ⋅ sn = C θ [37]
And the measured variance is:

s 2 = C 2 ⋅θ [38]

Practical approximations

In the case where the element of interest, X, resides in low-

frequency equant grains (e.g., gold in gold ore, MoS2 in
molybdenum ore, etc…) the following approximations are valid
and useful:

9
pM = 1 [39]

pV = 1 [40]

MH = M [41]

MH
ρ= [42]
V

qM ⋅ ρ H
From [12]: qV = [43]
pM ⋅ ρ D

qV ⋅ ρ D
From [14]: qM = [44]
pV ⋅ ρ H

From [17]: aL = aH + qM ⋅ aD [45]

n = nH [46]

nD = θ [47]

From [35]: a L = a H + C D ⋅ nD [48]

From [47] and [48], dropping the subscript D,

a L = a H + C ⋅θ [49]

10
Estimation of the sampling constant A

The sampling constant A may be estimated by assaying a series of

samples using an appropriate sample weight MS. If the standard
deviation in the assays is s we may write:

A = s2 ⋅ M S [50]

The sampling constant may also be estimated from the physical

characteristics of the material: the total number of equant grains
in M grams is, from [26] and [28]:

MD M n
n = nH + nD = + 3 H = D [51]
d ⋅ ρ D d ⋅ ρ H qV
3

From [20] and [50]:

 MD MH  M qM ⋅ ρ H + pM ⋅ ρ D
 + ⋅ 3 = ⋅ nD [52]
 M ⋅ ρD M ⋅ ρH  d qM ⋅ ρ H

From [4] and [52]:

 qM pM  M ρ H ⋅ qM + ρ D ⋅ pM M ρ H ⋅ qM + ρ D ⋅ pM
 + ⋅ 3 = ⋅ 3 = ⋅ nD
 ρD ρH  d ρD ⋅ ρH d qM ⋅ ρ H

[53]
Or:

M ⋅ qM aL − aH M
nD = θ = = ⋅ 3 [54]
d ⋅ ρ D aD − aH d ⋅ ρ D
3

11
In equation [3-22] of the thesis, which is essentially the same, the
subsript M for a proportion of the mineral of interest difficult to
sample, is the same as the subsript D in equation [54].

From [38], [50] and [54]:

aL − aH A s2
⋅ = [55]
aD − aH d 3 ⋅ ρ D ⋅ s 2 C 2

From [38] and [49]:

s2 [56]
C=
aL − aH

Substituting [56] in [55], we obtain formula [3.23] in the thesis:

A = (a L − a H )(a D − a H ) ⋅ d 3 ⋅ ρ D [57]

12
 Derivation of [3-42]

From equation [54], we have:

aL − aH M
θ= ⋅ 3 [58]
aD − aH d ⋅ ρ D

Putting θ = 1 and solving [58]:

M S min = M (θ =1) =
(a D − a H )ρ D ⋅ d 3 = (a L − a H )(a D − a H )ρ D ⋅ d 3
aL − aH (a L − a H )(a L − a H )
[59]

Or:

A IH L ⋅ a L2
M S min = = [60]
(a L − a H )2 (a L − a H )2

13