Crystal systems and Bravais lattices

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Before you learn about Bravais lattices, you need to understand carefully what is a crystal. A crystal is a homogeneous portion of a solid substance made by regular pattern of structural units bonded by plane surface making definite angles with each other. And the smallest repeating unit in space lattice which when repeated over and over again results in a crystal is known as a unit cell.

A lattice can be classified on the basis of the symmetry it possesses. Two kinds of symmetries are distinguished: Point group symmetry (e.g., rotation, reflection, inversion, etc. ) and Space group symmetry (i.e., all symmetry elements of a lattice; point group and translational symmetry).

7 Crystal Systems: there are 7 different kinds of lattices on the basis of its point group symmetry. 14 Bravais Lattices: there are 14 different kinds of lattices based on its space group symmetry.

Website: http://geology.uaic.ro/muzee/mineralogie/

Concept & 3D-modelling by dr. Andrei Ionut APOPEI