| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 1,805,294,573 visitors served. |
|
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
mean free path |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Acronyms, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.03 sec. |
|
mean free path [′mēn ¦frē ′path] (acoustics) For sound waves in an enclosure, the average distance sound travels between successive reflections in the enclosure. (physics) The average distance traveled between two similar events, such as elastic collisions of molecules in a gas, of electrons or phonons in a crystal, or of neutrons in a moderator. Mean free path The average distance traveled between two similar events. The concept of mean free path is met in all fields of science and is classified by the events which take place. The concept is most useful in systems which can be treated statistically, and is most frequently used in the theoretical interpretation of transport phenomena in gases and solids, such as diffusion, viscosity, heat conduction, and electrical conduction. The types of mean free paths which are used most frequently are for elastic collisions of molecules in a gas, of electrons in a crystal, of phonons in a crystal, and of neutrons in a moderator. See Kinetic theory of matter How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| ? Mentioned in | ? References in periodicals archive | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Their mean free path is decreasing, which results in diffusivity [alpha] decreasing and finally in the rise of [t. Neglecting gravity, [nu] = v/[lambda] can be expressed by the mean UCN velocity v and the mean free path [lambda] = 4V/S. In particular, the delay phenomenon affects the determination of a key parameter known as the mean free path -- the average path a wave travels before it's scattered. |
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Free toolbar & extensions |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|---|