anisotropic
Varies by orientation
Anisotropic describes materials or systems whose properties differ depending on the direction of measurement.
Wood is anisotropic—it splits easily along the grain but resists force across it.
The term appears in physics, materials science, and geology: anisotropic crystals, anisotropic conductivity.
The opposite is isotropic, meaning uniform in all directions.
Ability to carry current
- permittivityElectric polarization capacity
- permeabilityAbility to transmit fluids
- elasticityTendency to resume original form
- tensorMultilinear algebraic object
dielectric · piezoelectricity · composite · laminate · extrusion
Indicating a path
- asymmetricalNot equal on both sides
- inhomogeneousNot consistent throughout
- non-uniformVarying across instances
- textureSurface tactile quality
grain · layered · stratified · variable · heterogeneous · aligned · oriented · structured
Act of spreading widely
- polarizationSeparation into opposing extremes
- seismicRelating to ground tremors
- electromagneticInvolving electric and magnetic fields
- acousticsStudy of sound transmission
wavefront · refraction · dispersion · waveguide · fiber-optics · photonics · P-wave · S-wave
Along two perpendicular lines
- crystallographyStudy of atomic lattices
- mineralogyScience of inorganic solids
- gemologyScientific study of gems
- hexagonalSix-edged polygon's form
conductivity
Ability to carry current
- permittivityElectric polarization capacity
- permeabilityAbility to transmit fluids
- elasticityTendency to resume original form
tensor · dielectric · piezoelectricity · composite · laminate · extrusion
directional
Indicating a path
- asymmetricalNot equal on both sides
- inhomogeneousNot consistent throughout
- non-uniformVarying across instances
texture · grain · layered · stratified · variable · heterogeneous · aligned · oriented · structured
propagation
Act of spreading widely
- polarizationSeparation into opposing extremes
- seismicRelating to ground tremors
- electromagneticInvolving electric and magnetic fields
acoustics · wavefront · refraction · dispersion · waveguide · fiber-optics · photonics · P-wave · S-wave · ultrasound
biaxial
Along two perpendicular lines
- crystallographyStudy of atomic lattices
- mineralogyScience of inorganic solids
- gemologyScientific study of gems
anisotropicisotropic
Same properties all directions
omnidirectional · uniform · homogeneous · nondirectional · invariant
- magnetic anisotropyOrientation-dependent magnetization behavior