The point group can be deduced from the space group by removing all translations from the space group symbol and from the symmetry-related positions. Thus, the symmetry of a Patterson map in space group P2₁/c will be 2/m:

It is customary to express the coordinates of vector peaks in the Patterson map as u, v, and w (along the a, b, and c-axes, respectively) in order to differentiate them from coordinates of electron density peaks in a Fourier map or of atoms in a unit cell (which are generally expressed as x, y, and z).