Editing Isotropy (section)

===Materials science===
{{main | Isotropic solid}}
[[Image:LvMS-Lvv.jpg|thumb|This sand grain made of [[volcanic glass]] is isotropic, and thus stays [[Extinction (optical mineralogy)|extinct]] when rotated between [[Polarizing filter (photography)|polarization filters]] on a [[petrographic microscope]]]]
In the study of [[List of materials properties|mechanical properties of materials]], "isotropic" means having identical values of a property in all directions.  This definition is also used in [[geology]] and [[mineralogy]]. Glass and metals are examples of isotropic materials.<ref>{{cite web|title= Anisotropy and Isotropy|url= http://www.ndt-ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Materials/Structure/anisotropy.htm|access-date= 2012-05-26|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120531172526/http://www.ndt-ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Materials/Structure/anisotropy.htm|archive-date= 2012-05-31|url-status= dead}}</ref>  Common anisotropic materials include [[wood]] (because its material properties are different parallel to and perpendicular to the grain) and layered rocks such as [[slate]].

Isotropic materials are useful since they are easier to shape, and their behavior is easier to predict. Anisotropic materials can be tailored to the forces an object is expected to experience. For example, the fibers in [[carbon fiber]] materials and [[rebar]]s in [[reinforced concrete]] are oriented to withstand tension.