critical mass
Physics. the amount of a given fissionable material necessary to sustain a chain reaction at a constant rate: The critical mass for a bomb based on uranium fission is different than that for plutonium fission.
an amount necessary or sufficient to have a significant effect or to achieve a result: a critical mass of popular support.
Origin of critical mass
1Words Nearby critical mass
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use critical mass in a sentence
That’s because a critical mass of people must be vaccinated in order to attain herd immunity.
The Pandemic Is a Marathon. Here's How to Stay Strong. | Brad Stulberg | January 20, 2021 | Outside OnlinePence’s display of leadership means something, but not nearly as much as implementing a plan so a critical mass of people can get immunized — ending the coronavirus nightmare he and his boss have actively made worse.
So there’s a critical mass in the state — particularly in the northeast of the state, but really throughout the state — that just aren’t taking the precautions they should be taking.
How pandemic fatigue and polarization led to Wisconsin’s massive Covid-19 outbreak | German Lopez | October 23, 2020 | VoxThey would rather, perhaps, become the next WhatsApp and be a 2BN user silo rather than play nice with other people because they’re already past critical mass.
Element acquires Gitter to get more developers on board with the open Matrix messaging protocol | Natasha Lomas | September 30, 2020 | TechCrunchIf it is, it will take Apple longer to get to some sort of “critical mass.”
Apple Ratings is coming to iOS 14, how disruptive will it be? | Greg Sterling | September 1, 2020 | Search Engine Land
Without a critical mass of media, the politicians can get away with claiming the Atlanta paper has a vendetta against them.
If a critical mass of people is afraid or is convinced to fear, the signal is contagious.
A critical mass of influential figures now demands the GOP act on immigration, one way or the other.
And awareness is the first step in the process of building a critical mass to effectuate change on issues.
Go Away, Coulter and Limbaugh; Hashtagging Is Better Than Snarking | Dean Obeidallah | May 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWith Seacrest, the queue of big-name Miss Havishams in lacy, "nude" boring dresses reached a critical mass.
Too well shielded for the blast to get them, but the heat melted the fissionables down to critical mass.
Day of the Moron | Henry Beam PiperClaire always knew what to do when his temper started climbing to critical mass.
Null-ABC | Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuireIf only they had a tube of some sort that would withstand the chemical explosion—the one that brought the critical mass together!
Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet | Harold Leland GoodwinFirst, two or more pieces of plutonium large enough to form a critical mass.
Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet | Harold Leland GoodwinFinally, at perhaps a hundred thousand times critical mass, and still in perfect sync, the Vangs all went off.
Masters of Space | Edward Elmer Smith
British Dictionary definitions for critical mass
the minimum mass of fissionable material that can sustain a nuclear chain reaction
the minimum amount of money or number of people required to start or sustain an operation, business, process, etc: the critical mass for a subscription digital sports channel
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for critical mass
The smallest mass of a fissionable material that will sustain a nuclear chain reaction.
The amount of matter needed to generate sufficient gravitational force to halt the current expansion of the universe. See also big bang big crunch.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for critical mass
In physics, the amount of material that must be present before a chain reaction can sustain itself.
Notes for critical mass
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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