van der Waals

/ vɑn dər ˈwaːls /

noun

1. van der WaalsJohannes Diderik18371923MDutchSCIENCE: physicist Johannes Diderik (joːˈhɑnəs ˈdiːdərik). 1837–1923, Dutch physicist, noted for his research on the equations of state of gases and liquids: Nobel prize for physics in 1910

van der Waals

/ văn′dərwôlz′ /

1. Dutch physicist who accounted for many phenomena concerning gases and liquids by postulating the existence of intermolecular forces and a finite molecular volume. He derived a new equation of state for gases and liquids (now named for him), and for this work he received the 1910 Nobel Prize for physics.