Some Shapes
//Echinus (detail)// Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829), Tableau Encyclopédique et Méthodique des Trois Règnes de la Nature, Paris 1791-1798. Photograph by D Dunlop.
Echinus (detail) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829), Tableau Encyclopédique et Méthodique des Trois Règnes de la Nature, Paris 1791-1798. Photograph by D Dunlop.

A particle described by its wavelength $\lambda$ and orbital radius $\, R$ may be classified by shape.

Shape Definition
a point $R = \lambda = 0$
a line segment $\lambda > R = 0$
a plane section $R > \lambda = 0$
a plate $R \gg \lambda > 0$
a rod $\lambda \gg R > 0$
a cylinder $\lambda \sim R > 0$

Here is a link to the most recent version of this content, including the full text.

favicon.jpeg Some Shapes
Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License