Three-dimensional point lattices determining symmetries

In Point Groups, one point of the lattice remains invarient under symmetry operations, i.e.- there is no translation involved. Space Groups are so-named because in each group all three- dimensional space remains invarient under operations of the group. That is, they contain translation components as well as the three symmetiy operations. We will not dwell upon the 231 Space Groups since these relate to determining the exact structure of the solid. However, we will show how the 32 Point Groups relate to crystal structure of solids. 

In a further development of detail, one can take into account how the atoms of the solid are distributed spatially. The issue of symmetry in context with a fixed point in the crystal, and the symmetry of Bravais lattices, has been addressed, but in order to describe the entire crystal the effects of two new types of symmetry operation must be included. A space group determined in this way describes the spatial symmetry of the crystal. By definition, a crystallographic space group is the set of geometrical symmetry operations that take a three-dimensional periodic crystal into itself The set of operations that make up the space group must form a group in the mathematical sense and must include the primitive lattice translations as well as other symmetry operations. 

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