IGCSE 0625 / Section 2.1 / Core

Jiggling proof of particles.

Look at smoke under a microscope and the bright specks dance about in tiny, random zig-zags. Nothing visible is pushing them. That restless jiggle is the first direct hint that matter is built from countless fast moving particles too small to see.

The key idea

Brownian motion is the random, jerky movement of small visible particles suspended in a fluid. It happens because they are constantly struck, unevenly, by the much smaller and faster moving molecules of the fluid around them.

Definition · learn the exact words

Brownian motion is the random movement of small particles suspended in a liquid or gas, caused by collisions with the fast-moving molecules of that fluid.

random path = uneven molecular bombardment

The bombarding molecules are smaller and faster than the particle you can see.

Section 01

Follow the random walk.

Watch a large visible grain being knocked about by the unseen molecules of the fluid.

Stage 1 · Learn

Check brownian motion

Four quick checks. Each correct answer earns XP and lights this skill on your star map.

Quick check+10 XP

Brownian motion is the random motion of...

Quick check+10 XP

The jerky movement of a smoke particle is caused by...

Quick check+10 XP

Brownian motion provides evidence that...

Quick check+10 XP

The molecules that bombard the visible grain are...

Section 02

What the jiggle tells us.

The motion you can see is indirect evidence for the molecules you cannot.

Examiner trap

The visible grain is not moving under its own power. It is pushed around by the unseen molecules, and because the collisions arrive unevenly from all sides, the resulting path is random rather than smooth.

Stage 2 · Exam

Exam-style questions

Unlocks once the four checks above are done. Worth more XP, written in the style of Paper 2.

Finish the four checks above to unlock the exam questions
Exam style+20 XP

In a smoke cell viewed under a microscope, the bright specks seen moving randomly are...

Exam style+20 XP

A pollen grain on water jitters about because the water molecules...

Exam style+20 XP

The Brownian motion of smoke grains becomes more vigorous when the gas is...

Skill unlocked

Brownian motion, mastered.

Another particle-model skill secured. Keep the chain going.

-Rank -Level -Score -Topics
Go deeper · practice
Six original Cambridge-style questions
Brownian motion as evidence for moving particles, the cause of the random path, and the effect of temperature. Attempt each, then reveal the worked solution.
Stage 3 · master the unit
Thermal physics challenge
Mixed questions across the whole unit, each one worth XP. Start this only when you feel confident across every topic in the unit, not just brownian motion.
Start the unit challenge →