The smallest repeating portion of a crystal lattice that shows the full symmetry of the crystal is called the
- A. unit cell
- B. crystal face
- C. lattice point
- D. domain
Explanation
Stacking the unit cell repeatedly in three dimensions generates the entire crystal, so knowing its dimensions and contents describes the whole structure. A lattice point is a single position within that cell rather than the repeating block itself. The seven crystal systems are classified by the shapes and angles the unit cell can take.