kinetic theory
- noun
- /kɪˈnɛtɪk ˈθɪəri/
- Specialized
:
teoría cinética
- The principles of kinetic theory help scientists predict how changes in temperature affect gas pressure in a confined space.
Examples
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So how am I going to calculate the quantity using the kinetic theory approach that we've been talking about?
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There may be more productive thought experiments if we were to focus more on the kinetic theory of temperature and pressure.
Blog text (18) -
And as I said, the model would be ideal gas dynamics for the fluid and kinetic theory for the shock region.
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To review, we saw how kinetic theory can be used to help us analyze a real world problem, that of light bulb blackening.
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In the study of gases, kinetic theory explains how the motion of small particles affects their pressure and temperature.
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According to kinetic theory, gas particles are in constant random motion, which is crucial for understanding thermodynamics.
Synonyms
An idea that explains gases as made of tiny particles moving in all directions
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is compositionally predictable: 'kinetic' means relating to motion and 'theory' is an explanatory framework, so 'kinetic theory' straightforwardly denotes a theory about motion. This adjective+noun combination is a regular, cross-linguistically common composition, making the basic sense clear to a learner who knows both constituents (though detailed scientific implications require domain knowledge).
Etymology
Kinetic theory comes from the word kinetic meaning 'movement' and theory meaning 'an idea'. It gives a clear picture of tiny particles always moving, and that movement explains why gases have 'pressure' and 'temperature'.
