In thinking about the states of condensed matter, we usually consider two extremes. At one extreme are crystalline solids, in which atoms form a perfectly periodic array that extends to infinity in three directions. At the other extreme are fluids or glasses, in which the atoms or molecules are completely disordered and the system is both orientationally and positionally isotropic—that is, the materials look the same when viewed from any direction.
© 1989 American Institute of Physics.
1989
American Institute of Physics
You do not currently have access to this content.
