Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analogy to Explain Collision Cross-Sections in Chemical Kinetics

• Ricardo Fernández-Terán ^[1] ; Estefanía Sucre-Rosales ^[2] ; Lorenzo Echevarría ^[2] ; Florencio E. Hernández ^[2]
  1. [1] University of Zurich

     University of Zurich

     Zürich, Suiza

     
  2. [2] University of Central Florida

     University of Central Florida

     Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 97, Nº 12, 2020, págs. 4540-4544
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Herein we present an engaging description of the existent analogy between social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic and the collision cross-section of particles as defined in the collisional model for a chemical reaction. In addition, the link between collision cross-sections and kinetic rate constants is thoroughly established, bridging concepts of basic epidemiological models and fundamental chemical kinetics.