Look Familiar, Soccer Moms?

“‘I suppose you’re right. He’s a good man. I guess I have to show him more gratitude for working late so often.’  At that moment, Katie came running off the field, crying. The Brownian movement of untrained eight-year olds pretending to be a soccer team resulted in the inevitable smashing together of knees. Mrs. Simmons gathered the injured child onto her lap, smoothed her hair back from tear-streaked cheeks and gave her a consoling kiss, all without hardly interrupting their conversation.  ‘I just wish he knew how hard I work as well.'”

wikipedia.com

“a random movement of microscopic particles suspended in liquids or gases resulting from the impact of molecules of the surrounding medium —called also Brownian movement”

– Merriam-Webster (m-w.com)

Robert Brown (1773 – 1858) was a Scottish botanist who noticed this phenomena, which eventually helped confirm that matter is made of atoms and molecules and has applications in the real world I know nothing about.  Still, I watched it once under a microscope and thought it was cool.  And it does look something like kids playing soccer.