corpuskular

Corpuscular is an adjective used to describe something that consists of or relates to corpuscles, which are small particles. In physics, the term "corpuscular theory" refers to a historical model of light that proposed light is composed of tiny particles. This theory, most notably associated with Isaac Newton, explained phenomena like reflection and refraction. However, it struggled to account for wave-like behaviors of light, such as diffraction and interference, which were later explained by the wave theory of light.

The concept of corpuscles also appears in other contexts. In biology, for instance, blood is composed of corpuscles, meaning blood cells. These include red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The term "corpuscular" in this biological sense emphasizes the particulate nature of these components within the blood. While the physics context of corpuscular theory is largely superseded by quantum mechanics, which describes light as having both wave and particle properties (photons), the general meaning of corpuscular as relating to small particles remains valid across various scientific disciplines. The term highlights a fundamental idea of discrete units composing a larger whole.