Vibration theory of olfaction have a vibrational energy mode compatible with the difference in energies between two energy levels on the receptor, so electrons can travel through the molecule via inelastic electron tunneling, triggering the signal transduction pathway. The vibration theory is discussed in a popular but controversial book by Chandler Burr. The odor character is encoded in the ratio of activities of receptors tuned to different vibration frequencies, in the same way that color is encoded in the ratio of activities of cone cell receptors tuned to different frequencies of light. An important difference, though, is that the odorant has to be able
Kinetic theory of gases can calculate the number of atomic or molecular collisions with a wall of a container per unit area per unit time. Assuming an ideal gas, a derivation results in an equation for total number of collisions per unit time per area: This quantity is also known as the "impingement rate" in vacuum physics. From the kinetic energy formula it can be shown that where "v" is in m/s, "T" is in kelvins, and "m" is the mass of one molecule of gas. The most probable (or mode) speed formula_26 is 81.6% of the rms speed formula_27, and the mean (arithmetic