Revisiting the Concept of 2-D Bravais Lattices

Jyoti Bhardwaj ,Vandana Sharda , O.S.K.S. Sastri & Arbind K.Jha

Central University of Himachal Pradesh

In this paper, the concept of 2-Dimensional (2-D) Bravais Lattices is being arrived at using a constructivist approach, which is similar to the Socratic method of inquisitive questioning followed up with analysis and activity to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the idea. By posing the question as to how to construct a lattice by repeating a fundamental unit, we have created an activity that involves playing with triangles and quadrilaterals and figuring out which of them could easily tessellate to cover the 2-D chart without leaving any gaps. This lead to the construction of the five possible 2-D Bravais Lattices.