Ask a Teacher
What is the meaning of anisotropic? |
Anisotropy refers to a material exhibiting different values of a property in different crystallographic directions.Amorphous substances differ from crystalline solids and resemble liquids in another important respect. The properties such as electrical conductivity thermal conductivity,mechanical strength and refractive index are the same in all directions.Amorphous substances are, therefore, said to be isotropic. Liquids and gases are also isotropic. Crystalline solids, on the other hand, are anisotropic,that is, their physical properties are different in different directions. For example, the velocity of light passing through a crystal varies with the direction in which it is measured. Anisotropy in itself is a strong evidence for the existence of ordered molecular arrangements in such materials. |