After this course you are able to describe the basic structure of crystals and their symmetry, and is able to explain diffraction and reciprocal space.

The properties of solids arise from the collective behaviour of the many atoms and molecules that these materials are made of. Crystals play a central role in this course, because the regular structure of crystals allows a relatively straightforward understanding of their various properties. After the introduction of the fundamentals (structure and symmetry of crystals, diffraction, reciprocal space), phenomena like mechanical strength, electrical conductivity and crystal growth will be discussed.