New Teaching Commission Pamphlet

The IUCr Teaching Commission announces a new title in the Teaching Pamphlets Series, No. 23: Teaching crystallographic  and magnetic point group symmetry using three-dimensional rendered visualizations by Marc De Graef of Carnegie Mellon University. Teaching Pamphlets are an occasional series of short educational contributions on particular aspects of crystallography, aimed mostly at undergraduate or graduate students, but occasionally at a wider audience. The first titles in the series were printed in pamphlet form and sold during the 1980s, but more recently the entire series has been distributed free for educational use from the IUCr Web site.

Teaching aims

To provide teachers with a new tool for the teaching of crystallographic and magnetic point groups; to provide students with a new way to learn about point groups.

Level

Can be used at the undergraduate level by students with some prior exposure to symmetry. This pamphlet would be useful for students in the fields of physics, chemistry, geology, and materials science and engineering.

Background

Prior exposure to crystallography and symmetry is desirable.

Practical resources

A list of references is given at the end of the pamphlet. Web-based resources can be found on the site http://mpg.web.cmu.edu; these resources can be used by teachers and students alike.

Time required for teaching

This material can be taught in a two-hour lecture.