collisionaladj.
/kəˈlɪʒənəl/ Pertaining to collision; colliding.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > [adjective] > relating or tending to collision
collisive1712
collisional1884
the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > particle physics > [adjective] > relating to collision
collisional1947
1884 Pharm. Jrnl. & Trans. 15 319/1 The mutual action at a distance, repulsive or attractive according to the mutual aspect of the two bodies when passing within collisional distance of one another.
1947 Nature 11 Jan. 59/2 It is possible to estimate the collisional frequency of the electrons with the neutral atoms.
1957 F. Hoyle Black Cloud viii. 152 The ionization of the atmospheric gases at a height of about fifty miles turned out to be abnormally high. This was giving rise to an excessive amount of collisional damping, as the radio engineers called it.
1969 Nature 16 Aug. 727/1 Direct collisional excitation of the forbidden lines will be unimportant.
Derivatives
coˈllisionally adv. by a collision or collisions, esp. between atoms.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > [adverb]
collisionally1968
1968 Austral. Jrnl. Physics 21 505 A collisionally excited nebula.
1970 Nature 25 Apr. 354/1 The resulting excited H2O is strongly collisionally de-excited by other H2O molecules.
1981 Sci. Amer. Nov. 84/3 The width and the very low opacity of the bright ring may reflect the collisionally induced spreading of its larger particles over the age of the solar system.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1972; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
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adj.1884