Tensors: Feynman's Physics Explained
How do you describe a material that behaves differently in different directions? A single number is not enough, and often neither is a vector — you need a tensor. The stress in a solid or the polarizability of a crystal is a second-rank tensor, a 3x3 grid of numbers that tells you how one vector (say, an applied field) is turned into another (say, the resulting polarization).
The big idea
Tensors describe materials whose response depends on direction.
Think about it
Why might pushing on a crystal in one direction produce a response that points in a slightly different direction?
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