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Glite Dictionary
all-or-none law

all-or-none law

8.0
A nerve or muscle responds fully when a signal reaches a level and not at all below it
  • noun
  • /ˈɔl-ər-ˈnʌn lɔ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ley de todo o nada
  • According to the all-or-none law, a neuron either fires completely or not at all.

Examples

  • The all-or-none law explains why increasing the intensity of a stimulus does not increase the strength of a nerve impulse.

  • Biology students must understand the all-or-none law when learning about how nerves and muscles respond to stimuli.

  • The all-or-none law explains how neurons react to stimuli.

  • According to the all-or-none law, a nerve will either fire or not fire.

  • According to the all-or-none law, a neuron either fires completely or not at all.

  • Biology students must understand the all-or-none law when learning about how nerves and muscles respond to stimuli.

  • The all-or-none law explains why increasing the intensity of a stimulus does not increase the strength of a nerve impulse.

Surface Forms

all-or-none law singular
all-or-none laws plural

Morphology

all-or-none + law

The phrase 'all-or-none' is directly built from the familiar constituents 'all', 'or', and 'none', so a learner who knows those words can infer a binary outcome (either full response or no response). Combined with 'law' as a scientific principle, the overall meaning — that responses are either complete or absent — is compositional and cross-linguistically transparent.

Etymology

All-or-none law comes from a simple image: think of a light switch that is either on or off, never partly on. So, it means a nerve or muscle response happens completely ('all') or not at all ('none').