Brownian Motion

Post date: Aug 16, 2011 4:33:34 PM

Brownian Motion noun \ˈbrau̇-nē-ən-\

Brownian motion (named after the botanist Robert Brown) or pedesis (from Greek: πήδησις "leaping") is the presumably random drifting of particles suspended in a fluid (a liquid or a gas) or the mathematical model used to describe such random movements, which is often called a particle theory.

In a suspension, small particles "float" in a liquid, not dissolving, rising to the surface, or sinking to the bottom. Suspensions can be recognized by shining a beam of light through the liquid. Small particles will be seen moving randomly within the liquid. The motion of these particles is Brownian motion.