Polarity (physics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Polarity (disambiguation).
The polarity of an object is, in general, its physical alignment of atoms. The term is often used to describe the positive and negative ends of batteries and magnets.
In Chemistry, polarity, or bond polarity, is caused by two different atoms in a molecule having different electronegativities. As a result, the electrons in the bond are not shared equally by the two atoms. Molecular covalent bonds can be described as polar or nonpolar. Entire molecules can also be described as polar. See Chemical polarity.