I am studying crystals and I learned that there are 32 crystal classes with well-described data regarding symmetries. I have visited a few sites and am having difficulty determining the significance of these classifications. For example, how can any crystal be categorized under these 32 classes? I understand that the information exists somewhere within the symmetry data, but it's difficult to tell what it says; I'm trying to learn a lot of foreign concepts at once (space groups, lattices, symmetry concepts, etc.).

I suppose I'm asking two questions: how do all crystals fall under the classifications of the 32 crystal classes and how were the 32 classes determined?

I am studying crystals and I learned that there are 32 crystal classes with well-described data regarding symmetries. I have visited a few sites and am having difficulty determining the significance of these classifications. For example, how can any crystal be categorized under these 32 classes? I understand that the information exists somewhere within the symmetry data, but it's difficult to tell what it says; I'm trying to learn a lot of foreign concepts at once (space groups, lattices, symmetry concepts, etc.).

I suppose I'm asking two questions: how can I determine the class a mineral falls under and how were the 32 classes determined?

I am studying crystals and I recently learned that there are 32 crystal classes. Most of them seem to be basic polyhedrons with prism/pyramidal/dipyramidal variants. I'm having some difficulty finding a clear-cut answer on what these classes mean. Certainly, they don't represent all crystal structures, but all crystals are supposed to belong to them. Since there isn't much information on the internet, I'm left wondering how these minerals are categorized into crystal classes, or how useful the classes themselves are.

So in short, what is the significance and extent of usefulness in having crystal classes?

I am studying crystals and I learned that there are 32 crystal classes with well-described data regarding symmetries. I have visited a few sites and am having difficulty determining the significance of these classifications. For example, how can any crystal be categorized under these 32 classes? I understand that the information exists somewhere within the symmetry data, but it's difficult to tell what it says; I'm trying to learn a lot of foreign concepts at once (space groups, lattices, symmetry concepts, etc.).

I suppose I'm asking two questions: how do all crystals fall under the classifications of the 32 crystal classes and how were the 32 classes determined?