The course aims also to study the major mineral groups, their occurrences, physcial, chemical and crystallographic properties and their possible uses in industry. Klein, C. Wiley Pub. An introdcution to Crystallography. Synthetic compounds are not minerals.
Rocks are aggregates of minerals.
They are not homogeneous as they contain more than one compound in different directions. Liquids and gases are not minerals. Disordered solids like glasses are also not minerals. The number of faces in a crystal is a diagnostic character. A crystal made up of like faces is termed simple form.