Brazil nut effect

noun

The phenomenon of granular convection or segregation, where granular material subjected to shaking or vibration exhibits circulation patterns like those of a fluid, causing the larger particles to end up on top.

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Meanings

nounBrazil nut effect (plural Brazil nut effects)

plural Brazil nut effects

  1. The phenomenon of granular convection or segregation, where granular material subjected to shaking or vibration exhibits circulation patterns like those of a fluid, causing the larger particles to end up on top.

Origin

Referring to this behaviour in containers of mixed nuts, where Brazil nuts are typically the largest.

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Cite this entry
APA

Brazil nut effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Brazil%20nut%20effect

MLA

“Brazil nut effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Brazil%20nut%20effect. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Brazil nut effect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Brazil%20nut%20effect.

Source: Brazil nut effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.