Skip to content
Your progress

Checking your sign-in…

Who's learning?

Each profile keeps its own read lessons, badges, streak, and practice scores on this device.

Lesson 3 of 10

They never stop moving

Show on a big screen

6 min

Text size

Drop a grain of purple crystal into water. Pink streaks spread out. After a long while the whole glass is pink. Nobody stirred it.

A burning incense stick sits in one corner.
Step 1 of 4
  1. A burning incense stick sits in one corner.
  2. Its particles wander off and bounce about.
  3. More and more particles spread out.
  4. After a while the smell reaches the door.

New word

  • Diffusion — particles mixing by moving around on their own.

The rule

Particles never stop moving. They bump into each other and spread out. They spread faster when the water or air is warm.

This is because warm particles move faster.

In hot water the crystal spreads fastest. In ice-cold water it spreads slowest.

Three glasses, one clock. Slide the time.

Loading lab…

Try the lab to finish this lesson.