Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution

noun

A particular probability distribution originally defined and used for describing particle speeds in idealized gases. Mathematically, it is the chi distribution with three degrees of freedom (the components of the velocity vector in Euclidean space), with a scale parameter measuring speeds in units proportional to the square root of the ratio of temperature and particle mass.

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Meanings

nounMaxwell-Boltzmann distribution (plural Maxwell-Boltzmann distributions)

plural Maxwell-Boltzmann distributions

  1. statistical mechanicsnatural sciencesA particular probability distribution originally defined and used for describing particle speeds in idealized gases. Mathematically, it is the chi distribution with three degrees of freedom (the components of the velocity vector in Euclidean space), with a scale parameter measuring speeds in units proportional to the square root of the ratio of temperature and particle mass.

Origin

Named after James Clerk Maxwell and Ludwig Boltzmann.

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APA

Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maxwell-Boltzmann%20distribution

MLA

“Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maxwell-Boltzmann%20distribution. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maxwell-Boltzmann%20distribution.

Source: Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.