Anisotropic意思

"Anisotropic" is a term derived from Greek, where "aniso" means "uneven" or "unequal" and "tropic" means "turning" or "direction." It describes a property of materials that are not uniform in all directions, meaning their physical properties, such as strength, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, or optical properties, vary depending on the direction in which they are measured.

In materials science, anisotropic materials have properties that are directionally dependent. For example, wood is anisotropic because its strength and stiffness are different along the grain compared to across the grain. Similarly, crystals such as diamonds and rubies are anisotropic because their optical properties, like the way they refract light, depend on the direction of light passing through them.

In contrast, materials that are isotropic have properties that are the same in all directions. For instance, most liquids and metals are isotropic.

The concept of anisotropy is important in various fields, including physics, materials science, geology, and engineering, where it is considered when designing structures or products that use anisotropic materials.