ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Crystallographic database

Hey kiddo, you know how we love seeing beautiful crystals? So, scientists also love them and they study them to understand their shapes, structures, and properties. They collect all the data about these crystals and store them in a big super computer called "crystallographic database."

A crystallographic database has all the information about how the crystals look like under the microscope, their sizes, and how each crystal is made out of little building blocks called atoms. Scientists use it to find new crystals and to see how they fit together.

For example, let's say you want to make a toy out of building blocks. You can look for ideas on how to put them together in a book full of pictures that show what other people have built. Similarly, scientists use the crystallographic database to find how atoms in crystals are put together.

In short, the crystallographic database is like a giant library that has all the information about crystals that scientists use to study and find new materials.
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