Two different crystals can be described by the same mathematical rules

(Phys.org)—Scientists have found that an intricately beautiful yet poorly understood type of crystal found in soap bubbles follows the same mathematical rules as a much better understood type of crystal called martensite. Due to its extreme hardness, martensite has been used since the Iron Age to make swords and horseshoes. The soap-bubble crystals, on the other hand, which are called smectic liquid crystals (where "smectic" is derived from the Greek word for "soap"), have turned out to be