kidejärjestelmillä

Kidejärjestelmillä is a Finnish term that translates to "crystal systems" or "crystalline systems" in English. It refers to the classification of solid materials based on the arrangement of their constituent atoms, ions, or molecules in a repeating three-dimensional pattern known as a crystal lattice. This arrangement dictates the macroscopic properties of the material, such as its shape, hardness, cleavage, and optical characteristics.

There are seven fundamental crystal systems: cubic, tetragonal, orthorhombic, monoclinic, triclinic, hexagonal, and trigonal. Each system is defined by the lengths of its unit cell edges and the angles between them. For example, the cubic system has all edges equal and all angles at 90 degrees, while the triclinic system has unequal edges and angles that are not necessarily 90 degrees.

Within these seven systems, there are further classifications called crystal classes or point groups, which describe the symmetry elements present in the crystal. The complete description of a crystal's symmetry, considering both translational symmetry and point group symmetry, leads to the identification of 230 distinct space groups. Understanding kidejärjestelmillä is crucial in fields such as mineralogy, crystallography, materials science, and chemistry for identifying substances, predicting their behavior, and designing new materials with specific properties.