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Question:

In tetragonal crystal system, which of the following is true?

Two axial angles are equal but the third is different

All axial lengths and all axial angles are equal

All three axial lengths are equal

All three axial angles are equal

Solution:

In a tetragonal crystal system, the unit cell has three axes, a, b, and c. The lengths of the a and b axes are equal (a = b), but the length of the c axis is different (c ≠ a ≠ b). All axial angles (α, β, γ) are equal to 90°. Therefore, the correct statement is that two axial angles are equal but the third is different (which is 90 degrees in all cases). The other options are incorrect. Option 2 would describe a cubic crystal system. Option 3 is incorrect because while two axial lengths are equal, the third is different. Option 4 is incorrect because only two axial lengths are equal.