random walk

noun

1. Statistics.,  the path taken by a point or quantity that moves in steps, where the direction of each step is determined randomly.

2. Physics.,  the tendency of particles in random motion to achieve a net displacement or to drift in a particular direction.

random walk

noun

1. a mathematical model used to describe physical processes, such as diffusion, in which a particle moves in straight-line steps of constant length but random direction

2. statistics a route consisting of successive and connected steps in which each step is chosen by a random mechanism uninfluenced by any previous step

Word History and Origins

Origin of random walk¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

"This work shows how the random walk of proteins in cells is linked to disease pathology."

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“It might be cycling back and forth but it might also be on a random walk,” Vidale said.

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Over-interpreting randomness is an occupational hazard when monitoring the random walk of financial markets, while resisting any temptation provides an opportunity for the cognitively savvy investor.

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We meet the “mosquito man,” Sir Ronald Ross, whose study “The Logical Basis of the Sanitary Policy of Mosquito Reduction” became the foundation of the so-called random walk theory.

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Trump’s random walk down the policy spectrum stands in stark contrast to other American leaders and public health organizations.

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