What is the difference between the prefix iso and homo

Solution 1:

It is the difference between two things being equivalent or identical. Homo- means identical and iso- means equal or equivalent.

There is a subtle but clear difference between equivalent and identical. For example, the prime minister of the UK is the equivalent of the chancellor of Germany. In both cases, the person holding office is the head of the government. The two are equivalent, but they are not identical.

Solution 2:

Some interesting views, on reddit

"Homo-" means "the same", and "iso-" means "equal".

Something homogeneous is "the same throughout" rather than "equal throughout". Something isotropic gives "equal measurements in different directions", rather than "the same measurement in different directions".

The difference in meaning is kind of subtle, but it's there.

iso- from Greek isos equal
homo- via Latin from Greek, from homos same
One would therefore expect words of Greek origin to take the iso- prefix and those of Latin origin take the homo- prefix. (Does that hypothesis hold?)