In crystallography, the cubic crystal system is a crystal system where the unit cell is in the shape of a cube. This is one of the most common and simplest shapes found in crystals and minerals.
There are three main types of these crystals:
- Primitive cubic
- Body-centered cubic
- Face-centered cubic
Types
Name |
Description |
Picture
|
Primitive cubic |
One atom at each corner of the cube. |
|
Body-centered cubic |
One atom at each corner of the cube, and one in the middle of the cube. |
|
Face-centered cubic |
One atom at each corner of the cube, and one in the middle of each face (side) of the cube. |
|