If nickel crystallized in a face-centered cubic structure, the six atoms on the faces of the unit cell would contribute three net nickel atoms, for a total of four atoms per unit cell.

Face-centered cubic structure:

(8 corners x 1/8) + (6 faces x 1/2) = 4 atoms

Because they have different numbers of atoms in a unit cell, each of these structures would have a different density. Let's therefore calculate the density for nickel based on each of these structures and the unit cell edge length for nickel given in the previous section: 0.3524 nm. In order to do this, we need to know the volume of the unit cell in cubic centimeters and the mass of a single nickel atom.
The volume (V) of the unit cell is equal to the cell-edge length (a) cubed.

V = a3 = (0.3524 nm)3 = 0.04376 nm3

Since there are 109 nm in a meter and 100 cm in a meter, there must be 107 nm in a cm.
We can therefore convert the volume of the unit cell to cm3 as follows.
The mass of a nickel atom can be calculated from the atomic weight of this metal and Avogadro's number.
The density of nickel, if it crystallized in a simple cubic structure, would therefore be 2.23 g/cm3, to three significant figures.

Simple cubic structure:

Because there would be twice as many atoms per unit cell if nickel crystallized in a body-centered cubic structure, the density of nickel in this structure would be twice as large.

Photostyler 6 8. Body-centered cubic structure:

There would be four atoms per unit cell in a face-centered cubic structure and the density of nickel in this structure would be four times as large.

Face-centered cubic structure:

The experimental value for the density of nickel is 8.90 g/cm3. The obvious conclusion is that nickel crystallizes in a face-centered cubic unit cell and therefore has a cubic closest-packed structure.
Estimates of the radii of most metal atoms can be found. Where do these data come from? How do we know, for example, that the radius of a nickel atom is 0.1246 nm?
Nickel crystallizes in a face-centered cubic unit cell with a cell-edge length of 0.3524 nm to calculate the radius of a nickel atom.
One of the faces of a face-centered cubic unit cell is shown in the figure below.
According to this figure, the diagonal across the face of this unit cell is equal to four times the radius of a nickel atom.
The Pythagorean theorem states that the diagonal across a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other sides. The diagonal across the face of the unit cell is therefore related to the unit-cell edge length by the following equation.
Taking the square root of both sides gives the following result.
We now substitute into this equation the relationship between the diagonal across the face of this unit cell and the radius of a nickel atom:
Solving for the radius of a nickel atom gives a value of 0.1246 nm:
A similar approach can be taken to estimating the size of an ion. Let's start by using the fact that the cell-edge length in cesium chloride is 0.4123 nm to calculate the distance between the centers of the Cs+ and Cl- ions in CsCl.
CsCl crystallizes in a simple cubic unit cell of Cl- ions with a Cs+ ion in the center of the body of the cell, as shown in the figure below.
Before we can calculate the distance between the centers of the Cs+ and Cl- ions in this crystal, however, we have to recognize the validity of one of the simplest assumptions about ionic solids: The positive and negative ions that form these crystals touch.
We can therefore assume that the diagonal across the body of the CsCl unit cell is equivalent to the sum of the radii of two Cl- ions and two Cs+ ions.
The three-dimensional equivalent of the Pythagorean theorem suggests that the square of the diagonal across the body of a cube is the sum of the squares of the three sides.
Taking the square root of both sides of this equation gives the following result.
If the cell-edge length in CsCl is 0.4123 nm, the diagonal across the body in this unit cell is 0.7141 nm.
The sum of the ionic radii of Cs+ and Cl- ions is half this distance, or 0.3571 nm.
If we had an estimate of the size of either the Cs+ or Cl- ion, we could use the results to calculate the radius of the other ion. The ionic radius of the Cl- ion is 0.181 nm. Substituting this value into the last equation gives a value of 0.176 nm for the radius of the Cs+ ion.
The results of this calculation are in reasonable agreement with the value of 0.169 nm known for the radius of the Cs+ ion. The discrepancy between these values reflects the fact that ionic radii vary from one crystal to another. The tabulated values are averages of the results of a number of calculations of this type.
In engineering applications, we frequently encounter functions whose values change abruptly at specified values of time t. One common example is when a voltage is switched on or off in an electrical circuit at a specified value of time t.

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The value of t = 0 is usually taken as a convenient time to switch on or off the given voltage.
The switching process can be described mathematically by the function called the Unit Step Function (otherwise known as the Heaviside function after Oliver Heaviside).

The Unit Step Function

Definition: The unit step function, `u(t)`, is defined as
`u(t)={: {(0, t < 0), (1, t > 0) :}`
That is, u is a function of time t, and u has value zero when time is negative (before we flip the switch); and value one when time is positive (from when we flip the switch).
Graph of `f(t)=u(t)`, the unit step function.

Value at t = 0?

In some text books you will see the unit step function defined as having value 1 at t = 0, as follows:
`u(t)={: {(0, t < 0), (1, t >= 0) :}`

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We would indicate the discontinuity on our graph like this:
Graph of `f(t)=u(t)`, the unit step function, with `f(0) = 1`.
Also, sometimes you'll see the value given as `f(0) = 0.5`.
In this work, it doesn't make a great deal of difference to our calculations, so we'll continue to use the first interpretation, and draw our graphs accordingly.

Shifted Unit Step Function

In many circuits, waveforms are applied at specified intervals other than `t=0`. Such a function may be described using the shifted (aka delayed) unit step function.

Definition of Shifted Unit Step Function

A function which has value `0` up to the time `t = a` and thereafter has value `1`, is written:
`u(t-a)={{: (0, if, t < a), (1, if, t > a) :}`

Example 1 - Shifted Unit Step Function

`f(t) = u(t − 3)`
The equation means f(t) has value of `0` when `t < 3` and `1` when `t > 3`.
The sketch of the waveform is as follows:
Graph of `f(t)=u(t-3)`, a shifted unit step function.

Rectangular Pulse

A common situation in a circuit is for a voltage to be applied at a particular time (say t = a) and removed later, at t = b (say). We write such a situation using unit step functions as:
`V(t) = u(t − a) − u(t − b)`
This voltage has strength `1`, duration `(b − a)`.

Example 2 - Rectangular Pulse

The graph of `V(t) = u(t − 1.2) − u(t − 3.8)` is as follows. Here, the duration is `3.8 − 1.2 = 2.6`.
Graph of `V(t)=u(t−1.2)−u(t−3.8)`, an example of a rectangular pulse.

Exercises

Need Graph Paper?

Write the following functions in terms of unit step function(s). Sketch each waveform.
(a) A 12-V source is switched on at t = 4 s.
Answer
Since the voltage is turned on at t = 4, we need to use u(t − 4). We multiply by 12 since that is the voltage.
We write the function as follows:
`V(t)=12·u(t-4)`.
Here's the graph:
Graph of `V(t)=12·u(t-4)`, a shifted step function.
(b) `V(t)={{: (1, 0 < t < a),(0, t > a) :}`
(Assume a > 0.)
Answer
In words, the voltage has value `1` up until time `t = a`. Then it is turned off.
We have a 'rectangular pulse' situation and need to use this formula:
`V(t) = u(t − a) − u(t − b)`

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In our example, the pulse starts at `t = 0`, so we use `u(t)`, and finishes at `t = a`, so we use `u(t − a)`.
So the required function is:
`V(t)=1·[u(t)-u(t-a)]` `=u(t)-u(t-a)`
Graph of `V(t)=u(t)-u(t-a)`, a shifted unit step function.
(c) One cycle of a square wave, `f(0) = 4`, amplitude = `4`, period = `2` seconds.
Answer
`f(0) = 4` means we start at value `4`.
If the whole wave has period `2`, and it is a square wave, then it means for half of the time, the value is (positive) `4` and the other half it is `-4`.
So for the first second, it has value `4`, for the second second, the function value is `-4`.
We write this, using the 'rectangular pulse' formula from before:
`f(t) = 4·{u(t) − u(t − 1)}` `-4·{u(t-1) − u(t − 2)}`
`=4·u(t)-8·u(t-1)+4·u(t-2)`
The graph of this first cycle is:
Graph of `f(t)=4·u(t)-8·u(t-1)+4·u(t-2)`, a square wave.
(d) The unit Ramp function (i.e.`f(t) = t` for `t > 0`)
Answer
The unit ramp function has slope `1` [so the function is simply `V(t) = t`], starting from `t = 0` [so we need to multiply by `u(t)`], and passes through `(0, 0)`.
So the voltage function is given by:
`V(t) = t · u(t)`
The graph of the function is:
Graph of `V(t)=t · u(t)`, the unit ramp function.
(e) One cycle of a sawtooth waveform (i.e. `f(t)=a/b t` for `0 < t < b`. Assume `a > 0`.)
Answer
Our graph starts at `t = 0` and has slope `a / b`. It finishes at `t = b`.
So our function will be:
`f(t)=a/b t · {u(t)-u(t-b)}`
The graph of our function:
Graph of `f(t)=a/b t · {u(t)-u(t-b)}`, a sawtooth waveform.

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(f) `V(t)={ {: (0,t < 3), (2t+8,3 < t < 5), (0,t > 5) :}`
Answer
In this example, our function is `V(t) = 2t + 8` which has slope `2` and `V`-intercept `8`.
The signal is only turned on between `t = 3` and `t = 5`. The rest of the time it is off.
So our voltage function will be:
`V(t) ` `= (2t+8) ·{u(t − 3)− u(t − 5)}`
The graph is as follows:
Graph of `V(t) = (2t+8) ·{u(t − 3)− u(t − 5)}`. The dashed line is `V(t) = 2t + 8`.