What is the characteristic time for particles suspended in water to settle?

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GBA13
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Homework Statement


Hi guys,

I am not sure what the characteristic time of something is. I've been looking online but am getting confused with the definitions. Say, for example, the characteristic time for some particles suspended it water to descend to the bottom.

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


It is the time it takes on average for the particles to reach the bottom or is it the time it takes for the last particle to hit the floor?

Thanks very much,

Mark
 
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GBA13 said:

Homework Statement


Hi guys,

I am not sure what the characteristic time of something is. I've been looking online but am getting confused with the definitions. Say, for example, the characteristic time for some particles suspended it water to descend to the bottom.
How is this term defined?
GBA13 said:

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


It is the time it takes on average for the particles to reach the bottom or is it the time it takes for the last particle to hit the floor?

Thanks very much,

Mark
My guess is that it would be the average time for a particle to reach the bottom.
 
Hi Mark,

Its defined as "The characteristic time is an estimate of the order of magnitude of the reaction time scale of a system. It can loosely be defined as the inverse of the reaction rate." But I am really not sure what that means!
Thanks for replying!
 
I believe that "inverse" here means reciprocal. The reaction rate would be the number of reactions per unit of time. According to the definition you provided, I infer that characteristic time would be the time for 1 reaction. That's my best guess.