Question about crystal lattices.?
Answer:
The fundamental concept is not so much that of a lattice point as that of a primitive cell. A primitive cell is one that, when translated by the lattice points, will cover space. A primitive cell can contain only one lattice point.
Now, in crystals, it is possible for there to be more than one atom in a primitive cell. In fact, for the diamond structure, the atoms are not at the points of any Bravais lattice and there are, in fact, two atoms per primitive cell (for the most natural description). It should also be pointed out that there can be more than one way to describe the same crystal configuration, but with two different lattices and different numbers of atoms per primitive cell. This is even occasionally useful for calculations.
Next, you will find that for many purposes, the actual lattice for the atoms isn't as useful as the 'dual lattice'. This dual lattice determines such things as diffraction properties and acoustic properties of the material.
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