Crystal system

A crystal system is a way of organizing all of the different shapes that crystals can be. Depending on the type of crystal, different shapes can form. The six major crystal systems are cubic, tetragonal, hexagonal, rhombohedral, orthorhombic, and monoclinic. In each of these systems, the crystals have certain characteristics, like how the sides are angled. For example, in the cubic system, all of the sides are the same length and the angles between them are all the same as well. It’s like a cube. In the tetragonal system, the sides still all have the same length, but the angles between them are different. It’s kind of like a box with a lid on it. In the hexagonal system, three sides have the same length and there are two different angles between them. It’s like a hexagon. In the rhombohedral system, three sides have different lengths and all of the angles between them are different. It’s kind of like a pyramid. In the orthorhombic system, all of the sides have different lengths, and the angles between them are all different. It’s kind of like a rectangular prism. Finally, in the monoclinic system, two sides have the same length and the angles between them are all different. It’s like a rectangle with one long side and one short side.