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Brownian Motion Explained - Part I episode artwork

Nov 5, 2024 6 min

Brownian Motion Explained - Part I

from Simply Science

In this episode of Simply Science, we are getting ready to uncover how Albert Einstein proved atoms are real with the unexpected help of dancing pollen! In this episode, we explore the curious mystery of Brownian Motion—first spotted by botanist Robert Brown in 1827, who watched pollen grains jitter in water. Scientists scratched their heads for decades, wondering what caused this strange dance. Enter Einstein! In 1905, he connected these wiggles to invisible collisions with molecules, using math to finally prove atoms exist. French physicist Jean Perrin later put Einstein’s theory to the test, sealing the deal on atomic reality and winning a Nobel Prize:) Join us as we trace this epic journey from curious pollen to scientific proof, showing how Einstein’s clever calculations made the invisible, visible.

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Brownian Motion Explained - Part I

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This episode was published on November 5, 2024.

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