The number of atoms in a face-centered cubic unit cell is
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) 8

Name: The number of atoms in a face-centered cubic unit cell is A) 1 B) 2 C) 3 D) 4 E) 8
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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In a face-centered cubic (FCC) unit cell, there are 8 corner atoms, each of which is shared among 8 unit cells, contributing 1/8th of an atom per cell, and 6 face-centered atoms, each shared between 2 cells, contributing 1/2 an atom per cell. This gives a total of (8*(1/8)) + (6*(1/2)) = 1 + 3 = 4 atoms per unit cell.

The Number of Atoms in a Face-Centered Cubic Unit Cell