ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

International Year of Crystallography

Okay kiddo, have you ever looked at a snowflake up close? How it has all these little points and patterns? That's kind of like what crystallography is all about.

Crystallography is a science that helps us understand how crystals are put together. Crystals are special because they have repeating patterns all throughout them. This means that if you look at one part of a crystal, and then look at another part, they will look very similar.

Scientists use a technique called X-ray crystallography to study crystals. This involves shining X-rays (which are like very strong light beams) at a crystal, and then looking at how the X-rays bounce off of the crystal. This tells the scientists how the atoms and molecules are arranged inside the crystal.

Okay, so now that we know what crystallography is, the international year of crystallography was a special event that happened in the year 2014. It was a way for people all over the world to celebrate and learn more about crystallography.

During this year, scientists and educators organized all sorts of activities to help people learn more about crystals and crystallography. They talked about its many different uses, such as in medicine, where it helps us understand how drugs and diseases affect the body. They also talked about how crystallography helps us design new materials, like super-strong metals or better computer chips.

Overall, the international year of crystallography was a really cool way for people to learn about this fascinating science and all of the amazing things it can do!