Brownian motion
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Named after Scottish botanist Robert Brown (1773–1858), who investigated the movement of pollen suspended in water.
Noun[edit]
Brownian motion (countable and uncountable, plural Brownian motions)
- (statistical mechanics) Random motion of particles suspended in a fluid, arising from those particles being struck by individual molecules of the fluid.
- 2023, Robert M. Sapolsky, Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will, New York: Penguin, →ISBN:
- To summarize, the world is filled with instances of indeterministic Brownian motion, with various biological phenomena having evolved to optimally exploit versions of this randomness. Are we talking free will here?
- (idiomatic) A state of chaos or disarray.
- 2007 November, Gil Schwartz, “Escape from the job monster”, in Men's Health, volume 22, number 9, →ISSN, page 122:
- That's pretty much what I'm doing here today—asking you, right now, to sit down, take a deep breath, and stop. Try to see a future beyond that Brownian motion of your daily affairs.
Synonyms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
random motion of particles suspended in a fluid
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