diffusion

/di'fju:ʤn/

Thân thiện

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of spreading something more widely: The process by which something (such as information, particles, or cultural traits) spreads out from a central point or source to cover a wider area or reach more people.
   • The property of being spread out or dispersed: The state of having become widely distributed or scattered.
   • A social process: The spread of social institutions, cultural practices, ideas, or innovations from one society or group to another.
   • A physical process: In physics and chemistry, the net movement of molecules or atoms from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration, driven by random molecular motion until a state of equilibrium is reached.

Usage and Examples

• General spreading:
  • The diffusion of news was rapid after the announcement.
  • The company focused on the diffusion of its new technology across the market.
• Social/cultural spreading:
  • Anthropologists study the diffusion of agricultural techniques between ancient civilizations.
  • The global diffusion of popular music is accelerated by the internet.
• Scientific process:
  • Oxygen enters the bloodstream through diffusion in the lungs.
  • The experiment demonstrated the diffusion of ink in a glass of still water.

Advanced Usage

• "Diffusion of responsibility": A socio-psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to take action or feel responsible in the presence of a large group of people.
  • The bystander effect is often explained by the diffusion of responsibility.
• "Diffusion rate": The speed at which a substance or innovation spreads.
  • The diffusion rate of this new software among developers has been remarkable.

Variants and Related Words

• Diffuse (verb): To spread or cause to spread over a wide area.
  • The fan helped to diffuse the scent throughout the room.
• Diffuse (adjective): Spread out over a large area; not concentrated. (Often used for light or ideas).
  • The room was lit by the diffuse glow from the window.
• Diffuseness (noun): The quality of being wordy or overly verbose.
  • The diffuseness of the report made it difficult to understand the main points.

Synonyms

• Dispersion: The action or process of distributing things or people over a wide area.
• Dissemination: The act of spreading something, especially information, widely.
• Scattering: The act of moving or causing to move in different directions.
• Propagation: The spreading of something (e.g., an idea, wave) widely.

Antonyms

• Concentration: The action of gathering or focusing something in one place or group.
• Accumulation: The acquisition or gradual gathering of something.
• Centralization: The concentration of control or power in a central authority or location.

Related Phrases and Concepts

• "Diffusion of innovations": A theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread through cultures.
  • Everett Rogers' book "Diffusion of Innovations" is a classic text in sociology.
• "Facilitated diffusion": In biology, the process of spontaneous passive transport of molecules across a cell membrane via specific transmembrane integral proteins.
  • Glucose often enters cells through facilitated diffusion.

Học thuật

Noun

1. the act of dispersing or diffusing something
   • the dispersion of the troops
   • the diffusion of knowledge
2. the property of being diffused or dispersed
3. the spread of social institutions (and myths and skills) from one society to another
4. (physics) the process in which there is movement of a substance from an area of high concentration of that substance to an area of lower concentration

Từ đồng nghĩa

• dispersion
• dispersal
• dissemination