There is 1 atom in each simple cubic unit cell.
Explanation of Simple Cubic Unit Cells
A simple cubic unit cell is the most basic type of unit cell in a crystal structure. Atoms are located only at the corners of the cube. Because each corner atom is shared by eight adjacent unit cells, only 1/8th of each corner atom actually belongs to a particular unit cell. Since there are eight corners in a cube, the total number of atoms within a simple cubic unit cell is calculated as follows:
- 8 corner atoms * (1/8 atom per corner) = 1 atom
Here's a simple breakdown:
- Location of Atoms: Corners only
- Contribution per Corner Atom: 1/8
- Number of Corners: 8
- Total Atoms per Unit Cell: (1/8) * 8 = 1
| Cubic Cell Name | Atoms per Unit Cell |
|---|---|
| Simple Cubic (SC) | 1 |
| Face-Centered Cubic (FCC) | 4 |
| Body-Centered Cubic (BCC) | 2 |
It's important to note the coordination number for a simple cubic structure is 6. This refers to the number of nearest neighbors an atom has in the structure.
