Materials science thumb|This sand grain made of volcanic glass is isotropic, and thus, stays extinct when rotated between polarization filters on a petrographic microscope In the study of 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. Common anisotropic materials include wood (because its material properties are different parallel to and perpendicular to the grain) and layered rocks such as slate.
Materials science thumb|This sand grain made of volcanic glass is isotropic, and thus stays extinct when rotated between polarization filters on a petrographic microscope In the study of 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. Common anisotropic materials include wood (because its material properties are different parallel to and perpendicular to the grain) and layered rocks such as slate.