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particle

particle

66 5.3
A tiny dot on a computer used to make effects like smoke or fire
  • noun
  • /ˈpɑrtɪkəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : partícula
  • In the particle system, each particle represents a tiny element contributing to the visual effects.
  • particle size
  • particle number
  • particles flow

It was better on the PlayStation because the fog, you're like, updated graphics, which got rid of the particles.

Examples

  • Thus, the flow of the crowd in the scene is given by particle trajectories.

    Academic text (2011)
  • And this is supposed to be a computer generated model for it where these are the particles and they start to collect.

  • And every day, at least a billion particles of natural radiation enter our bodies.

    Academic text (1999)
  • And you're getting so much more out of those particle effects rendered in real time then you would.

  • When these hit the near-freezing water of the deep ocean, they form billions of tiny black particles that look like smoke.

  • The algorithm itself starts with particle advection, followed by computation of the forces.

    Academic text (2011)
  • ILM used software for fluid particle motion that had been developed for Twister.

  • Presently, there are about 50 particle-board mills and another 20 MDF plants in the United States.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The Higgs supposedly helps to endow many other particles in nature with the mass they possess.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Experiments with vertically oscillating thin layers of granular particles show robust pattern formation.

    Academic text (1995)

Compounds

subatomic particle
  • Specialized
12 5.1

A very small part of matter smaller than an atom, like a proton or electron

particle accelerator
  • Specialized
11 5.5

A machine that makes tiny charged particles move faster for science or medicine

particle physics
  • Specialized
8 4.5

The science that studies very small parts of matter and how they interact

particle beam
  • Specialized
7 6.8

A narrow, focused stream of tiny particles like electrons used in science and medicine

elementary particle
  • Specialized
3 6.5

A very small part of matter that you cannot break into smaller pieces, like an electron or quark

alpha particle
  • Specialized
2 5.8

A small positively charged part of an atom with two protons and two neutrons released in radioactive decay

A board made from small wood pieces glued and pressed for furniture and building

beta particle
  • Specialized
1 6.4

A fast, tiny particle like an electron that a radioactive atom gives off

fundamental particle
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A very small part of matter not made of smaller parts like an electron or quark

particle detector
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A machine that finds and shows very small particles inside atoms in physics experiments

wave-particle duality
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A physics idea that light and matter act like waves and particles when you look at them

lambda particle
  • Specialized
9.9

A neutral particle made of three quarks that appears in particle physics

heavy particle
  • Specialized
8.4

A tiny piece of matter as heavy as or heavier than a proton that feels the strong force

9.9

A very small particle added to a product to show where it came from

J particle
  • Specialized
9.9

A heavy neutral particle made of a charm quark and its antiparticle

K particle
  • Specialized
9.9

A tiny particle smaller than an atom that breaks into other particles after high-energy collisions

psi particle
  • Specialized
9.9

A heavy neutral meson made of a quark and an antiquark seen in physics experiments

tau-minus particle
  • Specialized
9.9

A heavy, short-lived tiny part of matter like an electron but much heavier

tau-plus particle
  • Specialized
9.9

A tiny particle with a positive charge like an electron but much heavier

5.1

Very small bits of dirty matter in the air that come from smoke and engines and can harm people's health

strange particle
  • Specialized
9.9

A very small particle that forms in fast collisions and decays more slowly

A heavy particle that hardly interacts with normal matter and may make up dark matter in space

How Small

mote
  • Literature
4 8.2
grain
20 3.7
speck
66 1.3
particle
  • Specialized
66 5.3
fragment
184 3.2

Surface Forms

particle singular
particles plural

Morphology

particle = part (semi-transparent) = part + icle

The computing/graphics sense extends the basic 'small piece' meaning into a technical domain, so learners may relate it to 'part' but the domain-specific usage requires experience.

Etymology

Particle comes from the Latin particula, which means 'small part' and is the same root as part. In computer graphics a particle is a tiny 'piece' used in large numbers to make effects like smoke, fire, or sparks.