In
science and
engineering, an intrinsic property is a
property of a specified subject that exists itself or within the subject. An extrinsic property is not essential or inherent to the subject that is being characterized. For example,
mass is an intrinsic property of any
physical object
In common usage and classical mechanics, a physical object or physical body (or simply an object or body) is a collection of matter within a defined contiguous boundary in three-dimensional space. The boundary must be defined and identified by t ...
, whereas
weight is an extrinsic property that depends on the strength of the
gravitational field
In physics, a gravitational field is a model used to explain the influences that a massive body extends into the space around itself, producing a force on another massive body. Thus, a gravitational field is used to explain gravitational phenome ...
in which the object is placed.
Applications in science and engineering
In
materials science, an intrinsic property is independent of how much of a material is present and is independent of the form of the material, e.g., one large piece or a collection of small particles. Intrinsic properties are dependent mainly on the fundamental chemical composition and
structure
A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...
of the material. Extrinsic properties are differentiated as being dependent on the presence of avoidable chemical contaminants or structural defects.
In
biology, intrinsic effects originate from inside an
organism or
cell, such as an
autoimmune disease or
intrinsic immunity.
In
electronics and
optics, intrinsic properties of devices (or systems of devices) are generally those that are free from the influence of various types of non-essential defects. Such defects may arise as a consequence of design imperfections, manufacturing errors, or operational extremes and can produce distinctive and often undesirable extrinsic properties. The identification, optimization, and control of both intrinsic and extrinsic properties are among the engineering tasks necessary to achieve the high performance and
reliability of modern electrical and optical systems.
[ Ueda, Osamu and Pearton, Stephen J. editors, Materials and Reliability Handbook for Semiconductor Optical and Electron Devices, 2013, , ]
See also
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Intensive and extensive properties
Physical properties of materials and systems can often be categorized as being either intensive or extensive, according to how the property changes when the size (or extent) of the system changes. According to IUPAC, an intensive quantity is one ...
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Intrinsic and extrinsic typology (theology)
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Intrinsic factor (biology)
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Intrinsic semiconductor (materials science)
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Intrinsic function (computer programming)
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Intrinsic equation (geometry)
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Motivation
Motivation is the reason for which humans and other animals initiate, continue, or terminate a behavior at a given time. Motivational states are commonly understood as forces acting within the agent that create a disposition to engage in goal-dire ...
*
Sunspots (economics), also known as ''extrinsic random variables''
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Coagulation, with intrinsic and extrinsic blood clotting pathways
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Intrinsic And Extrinsic Properties.
Abstraction
Ontology