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Asked by daisymacgregor to Rick, Charlotte on 26 Jun 2013.
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Rick Smith answered on 26 Jun 2013:
A liquid crystal is a material that shares the properties of two normally different materials. A crystal is a material where all of the atoms or molecules that make up the material are arranged in a regular pattern. So a liquid crystal can flow and move like a liquid (you could pour it like water) but can also be made have all the molecules that make up the material form into a regular pattern like a crystal.
The regular structure of a crystal changes the way light behaves when it reflects or passes through it. This can either absorb or reflect the light, so by changing the liquid to line up the molecules in different ways the liquid crystal can be light or dark, this means they are great materials to use to make displays
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Charlotte Dalton answered on 27 Jun 2013:
some chemicals are natural liquid crystals, which means they are halfway between the crystal and liquid states we know in chemistry and physics. the molecules are arranged in an ordered way like in a crystal but they can flow like a liquid. crystals are really good at interacting with light and liquid crystals are used in screens to make light and dark areas in a picture, but the screen can be really thin as you just need a layer of liquid in there
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