The Solid State

After studying this Unit, you will be
able to
• describe general characteristics of
solid state;
• distinguish between amorphous
and crystalline solids;
• classify crystalline solids on the
basis of the nature of binding
forces;
• define crystal lattice and unit cell;
• explain close packing of particles;
• describe different types of voids
and close packed structures;
• calculate the packing efficiency of
different types of cubic unit cells;
• correlate the density of a
substance with its unit cell
properties;
• describe the imperfections in
solids and their effect on
properties;
• correlate the electrical and
magnetic properties of solids and
their structure.