释义 |
critical mass
critical massn.1. The smallest mass of a fissionable material that will sustain a nuclear chain reaction at a constant level.2. The total mass of matter needed to generate sufficient gravitational force to halt the current expansion of the universe.3. An amount or level needed for a specific result or new action to occur: "[Plastic bags are] so nearly weightless that it's difficult to gather enough of a critical mass to make recycling them economically worthwhile" (Susan Freinkel).critical mass n 1. (Nuclear Physics) the minimum mass of fissionable material that can sustain a nuclear chain reaction 2. 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. crit′ical mass′ n. 1. the amount of a given fissionable material necessary to sustain a chain reaction. 2. an amount necessary or sufficient to have a significant effect or to achieve a result. [1940–45] critical massThe minimum amount of fissionable material capable of supporting a chain reaction under precisely specified conditions.ThesaurusNoun | 1. | critical mass - the minimum amount (of something) required to start or maintain a venture; "the battle for the computer market has now reached critical mass"; "there is now a critical mass of successful women to take the lead"; "they sold the business because it lacked critical mass"amount - the relative magnitude of something with reference to a criterion; "an adequate amount of food for four people" | | 2. | critical mass - the minimum mass of fissionable material that can sustain a chain reactionmass - the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field | Translationscritical mass
critical mass: see chain reactionchain reaction, self-sustaining reaction that, once started, continues without further outside influence. Proper conditions for a chain reaction depend not only on various external factors, such as temperature, but also on the quantity and shape of the substance undergoing the ..... Click the link for more information. .Critical Mass the smallest mass of a fissionable substance at which a self-sustaining fission chain reaction of atomic nuclei can occur; it is characterized by the approach of the neutron multiplication factor to 1. The corresponding dimensions and volume of the device in which a chain reaction takes place are also called critical. critical mass[′krid·ə·kəl ′mas] (nucleonics) The mass of fissionable material of a particular shape that is just sufficient to sustain a nuclear chain reaction. critical massIn physics, the minimum amount of fissionable materialrequired to sustain a chain reaction. Of a software product,describes a condition of the software such that fixing one bugintroduces one plus epsilon bugs. (This malady has manycauses: creeping featurism, ports to too many disparateenvironments, poor initial design, etc.) When softwareachieves critical mass, it can never be fixed; it can only bediscarded and rewritten.Critical Mass Radiation safety The minimum amount of material—mass of a particular radioisotope—required for it to reach ‘criticality’ and undergo a spontaneous fission chain reaction, releasing a lethal shower of neutron and gamma radiation Research A popular term for the minimum number of persons working in related fields in a particular place, below which creative thinking and interaction may be suboptimalCritical Mass
Critical Mass1. A situation that can no longer be ignored. For example, if an employee who makes co-workers of the opposite sex uncomfortable makes unwanted sexual advances toward the chief financial officer, the situation is said to have reached critical mass, and the employee must immediately be disciplined or fired.
2. The point at which a product or company has become sufficiently popular to take off and become commonly used. For example, a company that has posted a profit for three years in a row and has respectable financials may reach critical mass and become extremely attractive to investors.AcronymsSeecuriumcritical mass
Words related to critical massnoun the minimum amount (of something) required to start or maintain a ventureRelated Wordsnoun the minimum mass of fissionable material that can sustain a chain reactionRelated Words |