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In physics, a characteristic length is an important dimension that defines the scale of a physical system. Often, such a length is used as an input to a formula in order to predict some characteristics of the system, and it is usually required by the construction of a dimensionless quantity, in the general framework of dimensional analysis and in particular applications such as fluid mechanics.
The atomic length scale is ℓ a ~ 10 −10 m and is given by the size of hydrogen atom (i.e., the Bohr radius, approximately 53 pm).; The length scale for the strong interactions (or the one derived from QCD through dimensional transmutation) is around ℓ s ~ 10 −15 m, and the "radii" of strongly interacting particles (such as the proton) are roughly comparable.
Particle physics, dealing with the smallest physical systems, is also known as high energy physics. Physics of larger length scales, including the macroscopic scale, is also known as low energy physics. Intuitively, it might seem incorrect to associate "high energy" with the physics of very small, low mass–energy systems, like subatomic ...
where is the relaxation time of the particle (the time constant in the exponential decay of the particle velocity due to drag), is the fluid velocity of the flow well away from the obstacle, and is the characteristic dimension of the obstacle (typically its diameter) or a characteristic length scale in the flow (like boundary layer thickness). [1]
The Debye length arises naturally in the description of a substance with mobile charges, such as a plasma, electrolyte solution, or semiconductor. In such a substance, charges naturally screen out electric fields induced in the substance, with a certain characteristic length. That characteristic length is the Debye length.
In atomic physics, sub-atomic physics, and cosmology, the preferred unit of length is often related to a chosen fundamental physical constant, or combination thereof. This is often a characteristic radius or wavelength of a particle. Some common natural units of length are included in this table:
The history of scientific method considers changes in the methodology of scientific inquiry, not the history of science itself. The development of rules for scientific reasoning has not been straightforward; scientific method has been the subject of intense and recurring debate throughout the history of science, and eminent natural philosophers and scientists have argued for the primacy of ...
All data are inexact and statistical in nature. Thus the definition of measurement is: "A set of observations that reduce uncertainty where the result is expressed as a quantity." [17] This definition is implied in what scientists actually do when they measure something and report both the mean and statistics of the measurements. In practical ...