Abstract
THE coefficients proposed by Mr. E. J. W. Whittaker1 for expressing shapes of rectangular parallelepipeda are not, in my opinion, quite satisfactory. The acicularity coefficient (ac: b2) does not really express true acicularity, because the term 'acicular' means 'needle-shaped' and is commonly applied to elongated crystals with a cross-section approaching a regular polygon. The term 'acicular' cannot, strictly speaking, be applied to elongated tabular crystals, which are usually referred to as 'laths', if short, and 'blades', if long. Again, the iso-proportionality coefficient (a: b or b: c) does not express any significant shape, because it is based on two dimensions only.
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References
Nature, 155, 331 (1945).
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TOMKEIEFF, S. Particle Shape. Nature 155, 639 (1945). https://doi.org/10.1038/155639b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/155639b0
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Particle Shape
Nature (1945)
