isotropy

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the property of a system or medium whose relevant physical or statistical properties are the same in every direction; invariance under rotation at a given point

   The cosmological model assumes large-scale isotropy, so its statistical properties do not favor one direction in the sky.

Formed from iso- (from Greek isos, "equal") + -tropy (from Greek tropos, "turn, direction"). Coined in nineteenth-century scientific usage, it names equality with respect to direction. It is distinct from homogeneity, which concerns sameness from place to place rather than direction.

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