Symmetry Summary

Dexter Perkins

University of North Dakota

This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Peer Reviewed Teaching Activities collection. (view details)

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Scientific Accuracy
Alignment of Learning Goals, Activities, and Assessments
Pedagogic Effectiveness
Robustness (usability and dependability of all components)
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Initial Publication Date: August 7, 2006 | Reviewed: December 14, 2014 (see revision history: 2 events)

Summary

This summary exercise involves crystal system and point group identification and stereo diagram construction.

Crystallography, Mineralogy | College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16)

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Context

Audience

This exercise is designed for a mid/upper-level undergraduate geology course on the principles of mineralogy.

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

Students should have knowledge of basic chemistry and of minerals equivalent to what they would learn in an introductory geology class.

How the activity is situated in the course

This activity is the 29th of 36 mineralogy exercises and is used towards the end of the course.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

Be able to identify symmetry.
Become familiar with the crystal systems and the 32 point groups and be able to assign crystals to the correct ones.
Be able to construct stereo diagrams for crystals of different shapes.

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

Describe real objects (crystals) with abstract concepts such as symmetry and stereo diagrams.

Other skills goals for this activity

Description of the activity/assignment

This summary exercise involves crystal system and point group identification and stereo diagram construction. Students are presented with 5 blocks and for each block they must determine it's point group and crystal system, make stereo diagrams showing all symmetry and faces, and draw the blocks by hand or with SHAPE and label the Miller Indices.