Brownian motion
1
7.3
- noun
- /ˈbraʊniən ˈmoʊʃən/
- Specialized
:
movimiento browniano
- Their movement is an aimless jiggling, called Brownian motion after an English botanist named Robert Brown, who first described the effect with reference to pollen grains in water.
- call it "Brownian motion"
- work on Brownian motion
In fact, the smaller the molecules are, the more chaotic the Brownian motion is and and so this smooth motion is a complete fiction.
- In fact, the smaller the molecules are, the more chaotic the Brownian motion is and and so this smooth motion is a complete fiction.
Examples
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Molecules bounce about, bumping into each other in what is called Brownian motion.
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They don't have to shake the mixture because the shaking is provided by Brownian motion, the random tiny movement of atoms as they bounce off each other.
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It also tells you why Brownian motion might appear in some situations.
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Designing micromachines that operate through Brownian motion is a simple trick.
Academic text (2010) -
In that case, diffusion caused by thermal noise (Brownian motion) competes with self-propelled motion.
Academic text (2002) -
Jean-Baptiste Perrin then affirmed the theory in 1905 when he obtained Avogadro's number from a study of Brownian motion.
Academic text (2006) -
It was Einstein's analysis of Brownian motion in 1905, and subsequent experiments by Jean Perrin, that convinced the majority.
Academic text (2012) -
As the overlying gelatinous tectorial membrane becomes decoupled from the hair cell, the Brownian motion of the air particles in front of the tympanic membrane is detected.
Academic text (1995) -
The jiggling refers to Brownian motion, which describes the random movement of small particles as a result of collisions with surrounding particles.
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For example, Brownian motion, the random movement of water molecules in solution, jostles the tiny objects.
Synonyms
Random movement of tiny particles in a liquid or gas when molecules hit them
Random movement of tiny particles in a liquid or gas caused by hits from molecules
How Active
- Specialized
1
4.8
73
3.2
- Specialized
1
7.3
38
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is an eponymous technical term: 'Brownian' refers to the scientist Robert Brown, not the common adjective 'brown', so knowing 'brown' + 'motion' does not yield the intended meaning. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not predict the specific scientific sense of random particle movement without prior exposure, making it non-compositional for learners.
Etymology
Brownian motion is named after the scientist Robert Brown, who in 1827 watched tiny pollen grains jiggle under a microscope. He saw them move as if hit by something invisible, later explained as hits from tiny water 'molecules', so today Brownian motion means the 'random' movement of tiny particles in a liquid.