X-ray diffraction: history and theory

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around finding suitable books on X-ray diffraction, focusing on both the technical aspects of reading diffraction patterns and the historical context of the technique. Participants express interest in resources that would be appropriate for teaching high school and college students.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks recommendations for books that cover X-ray diffraction and its history, suitable for teaching purposes.
  • Another participant expresses surprise at the lack of recommendations and suggests looking for solid state texts with good treatments of the subject.
  • A third participant advises that asking for separate book recommendations might yield better results and suggests that historical information can be found online.
  • One participant acknowledges the abundance of books available but emphasizes the need for specific recommendations rather than general searches.
  • A participant mentions that "Cullity and Stock" is an accessible text, although there are concerns about issues in the newest edition.
  • Another participant expresses gratitude for the information received, indicating it was helpful for their needs.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not appear to reach a consensus on specific book recommendations, and multiple viewpoints regarding the best resources remain. The discussion is ongoing without a clear resolution.

Contextual Notes

Participants have varying levels of familiarity with the subject, and there is an acknowledgment of the challenges in selecting appropriate texts from a large number of available resources. The discussion reflects differing opinions on the adequacy of online resources for historical context.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for educators seeking to enhance their understanding of X-ray diffraction and its historical background, as well as for those looking for book recommendations in the field of solid state physics.

mishima
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I'm looking for a book that might teach me how to read diffraction patterns and infer structure. I'm also interested in the history of the technique. This is mainly so I can explain it with confidence to high school students and college freshmen as a teacher.

I feel like I never really went into detail with this in my undergrad degree (astronomy/physics) but it crops up in a lot of intro texts across the science disciplines.

I'm sure I can tackle anything below the graduate level, and am willing to attempt lower/intro grad level treatments if you think a certain author is particularly worthwhile.

Ideally I suppose the book would also include other techniques like field emission microscopy in its historical treatment. Thank you.
 
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Surprised no one has recommendations for this. How about a solid state text with a good treatment of this?
 
Hello, thanks for responding. I was aware of the multitude of books out there, and that's kind of the problem. I was just looking for specific recommendations of good ones. This forum usually has recommendations that I end up being very pleased with. Granted, they somewhat follow the "star" ratings on amazon as you listed, but not always.
 
Cullity and Stock is very accessible. I've heard rumblings that there are problems with the newest edition, though I wouldn't know firsthand since I still use the older one.
 
Thank you, the first half of this was exactly what I was looking for.
 

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