London forces

American  

plural noun

Physics, Chemistry.

1. forces between atoms or molecules that are related to the physical rather than the chemical properties of the molecules and that are attractive when the particles are in the lowest energy state.

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Etymology

Origin of London forces

After Fritz Wolfgang London (1900–54), U.S. physicist born in Germany

Example Sentences

The London forces typically increase as the number of electrons increase.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

The changes in state as one moves down the halogen family offer excellent examples of the increasing strength of intermolecular London forces with increasing molecular mass and increasing polarizability.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

It is much larger than water and thus experiences larger London forces.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019