Isomer
An isomer is any of two or more objects each consisting of the same individual parts with different relative arrangements. These objects are distinguished using various affixes described below.
Cis- and trans-
The cis- prefix refers to the isomer in which the denser parts of each component are more "bunched together," while the trans- prefix refers to the isomer which is more "spread apart."
| Cis-beacon on table (left) and trans-beacon on table (right) (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here |
Ortho- and para-
Ortho and para refer to the orientation of the object inducting the other object.
| Cis-carrier on table, Ortho-carrier on table, Para-carrier on table, and Trans-carrier on table, in order (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here |
Meta- and Shift-
When two different, asymmetric induction coils disalign, ortho-, meta-, shift- and para- are used instead. If the constituent patterns point in opposite directions and their "heavy" parts align, ortho- is used; if their light parts align, meta- is used. If the patterns point in the same direction, and the first's heavy part aligns with the second's light part, shift- is used, while if the first's light part aligns with the second's heavy part, para- is used.
| The six isomers of bookend and bun.
From top to bottom, left: Shift-bookend and bun, Meta-bookend and bun. Center: Trans-bookend and bun, Cis-bookend and bun. Right: Para-bookend and bun, Ortho-bookend and bun(click above to open LifeViewer) |
"Up" and "down"
Isomers can be further distinguished with the up and down interfixes. Up refers to isomers in which one object "points" to the denser part of the other, while down means it points to the less dense part.
| The four isomers of beacon on long bookend. Top: Cis-beacon down and Trans-beacon down. Bottom: Cis-beacon up and Trans-beacon up (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here |