What is the minimum number of atoms that could be contained in the unit cell of an element with a body-centered cubic lattice? (a) 1, (b) 2, (c) 3, (d) 4, (e) 5.

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the structure of a body-centered cubic (BCC) lattice. In a BCC lattice, atoms are located at each corner of the cube and one atom is at the center of the cube.
2. Step 2: Calculate the contribution of corner atoms to the unit cell. Each corner atom is shared by eight adjacent unit cells, so each corner atom contributes 1/8 of an atom to the unit cell.
3. Step 3: Determine the total contribution of the corner atoms. Since there are 8 corners in a cube, the total contribution from the corner atoms is 8 * (1/8) = 1 atom.
4. Step 4: Consider the atom at the center of the cube. This atom is not shared with any other unit cell, so it contributes fully to the unit cell.
5. Step 5: Add the contributions from the corner atoms and the center atom. The total number of atoms in a BCC unit cell is 1 (from corners) + 1 (from center) = 2 atoms.