Basics of Crystallography

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from crystallography based on the lecture notes.

Crystallography

The study of the arrangement of atoms in minerals and the relationship between crystal symmetry and building block symmetry.

Unit Cell

The smallest repeating unit in a crystal lattice that defines the crystal structure.

Symmetry

Refers to the relationship between parts of an entity, defining its order in arrangement and orientation.

Translational Symmetry

When an object can be moved in a specific direction without changing its shape or position.

Bravais Law

States that a face is more commonly developed if it intersects a larger number of lattice points.

Steno’s Law of Interfacial Angles

The angles between two corresponding crystal faces of any mineral are constant and are characteristic of the species.

Lattice

The ordered internal arrangement of atoms in a crystal structure.

Crystal System

Classification of crystals based on the lengths of their axes and the angles between them.

Rotational Symmetry

Occurs when an object can be rotated around a point and remain unchanged.

Glide Symmetry

An operation that consists of a reflection over a line followed by translation along that line.