Diffusion

by Dana Plesa

If you look at a glass of water siting on the kitchen countertop, the water has no apparent energy (nothing appears to move). But, at the molecular scale (microscopic), masses of high-speed water molecules are randomly travelling at hundreds of meters per seconds inside the glass.

You can see the movement of the molecules when you add a drop of food colouring into the water. This random molecular “stroll” leads to interesting patterns. Isn’t it beautiful?