Which term best describes the regular, repeating arrangement of atoms in a mineral?

Which term best describes the regular, repeating arrangement of atoms in a mineral?

• A. Crystal
• B. Crystaline
• C. Crystal Structure
• D. Doubly Refractive

Answer: (C)

Minerals have atoms arranged in a precise, repeating three-dimensional pattern, and that arrangement is called the crystal structure. This term captures how the atoms stack and repeat to form the lattice that gives the mineral its orderly form and properties. The word crystal describes the mineral itself or a well-formed sample, while crystalline is the adjective meaning it has that ordered structure. Doubly refractive describes how some crystals bend light, not the arrangement of atoms. So the regular, repeating arrangement of atoms in a mineral is best described as the crystal structure.

Minerals have atoms arranged in a precise, repeating three-dimensional pattern, and that arrangement is called the crystal structure. This term captures how the atoms stack and repeat to form the lattice that gives the mineral its orderly form and properties. The word crystal describes the mineral itself or a well-formed sample, while crystalline is the adjective meaning it has that ordered structure. Doubly refractive describes how some crystals bend light, not the arrangement of atoms. So the regular, repeating arrangement of atoms in a mineral is best described as the crystal structure.