A particular superconductor has eight copper atoms on corners and eight copper atoms on edges of its unit cell.How many copper atoms are attributed to a single unit cell of this superconductor?
A)1
B)3
C)5
D)16

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Each corner atom is shared by eight unit cells, contributing 1/8 of an atom per unit cell. Each edge atom is shared by four unit cells, contributing 1/4 of an atom per unit cell. Therefore, the total number of copper atoms per unit cell is (8 * 1/8) + (8 * 1/4) = 1 + 2 = 3.

A Particular Superconductor Has Eight Copper Atoms on Corners and Eight