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ID: past-exam-of-the-materials-science-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2022/paper-1/1/a/ii/solution
Past exam of the materials science course of the University of Cambridge 2022 Paper 1 1 a ii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
A motif can have fivefold symmetry. For example, repeat an identically oriented regular pentagonal molecular motif at every point of a square translation lattice. Each isolated motif has fivefold rotational symmetry, while the crystal structure as a whole does not: rotating about one motif fails to map the other motif centres onto lattice points. The symmetry of an atomic basis of a crystal need not be a symmetry of its Bravais lattice.
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