collision theory

collision theory

[kə′lizh·ən ‚thē·ə·rē]

(physical chemistry)

Theory of chemical reaction proposing that the rate of product formation is equal to the number of reactant-molecule collisions multiplied by a factor that corrects for low-energy-level collisions.

(quantum mechanics)

Theory to describe collisions of simple or complex particles, the derivation of collision cross sections from postulated interactions and the study of properties of collision amplitudes which follow from invariance principles such as conservation of probability and time-reversal invariance.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.