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quantize
[ kwon-tahyz ]
verb (used with object)
, quan·tized, quan·tiz·ing.
- Mathematics, Physics. to restrict (a variable quantity) to discrete values rather than to a continuous set of values.
- Physics. to change the description of (a physical system) from classical to quantum-mechanical, usually resulting in discrete values for observable quantities, as energy or angular momentum.
quantize
/ ˈkwɒntaɪz /
verb
- physics to restrict (a physical quantity) to one of a set of values characterized by quantum numbers
- maths to limit (a variable) to values that are integral multiples of a basic unit
quantize
/ kwŏn′tīz′ /
- To limit a variable or variables describing a physical system to discrete, distinct values. For example, the energy of electromagnetic radiation such as light at a given frequency must be an integer multiple of hν, where ν is the frequency and h is a Planck's constant; electromagnetic energy is thus inherently quantized (in this case, photons are the quanta of energy). The distinct orbitals of electrons in an atom are also a case of quantized energy. Many apparently continuous phenomena turn out to be quantized at a very fine level or very small scale; quantum mechanics was developed in large part to explain many unexpected cases of quantization in the natural world.
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Derived Forms
- ˌquantiˈzation, noun
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Other Words From
- quan·ti·za·tion [kwon-tahy-, zey, -sh, uh, n], noun
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