ALL meanings of critical mass
crit·i·cal mass
C c - singular noun critical mass In physics, the critical mass of a substance is the minimum amount of it that is needed for a nuclear chain reaction. 3
- singular noun critical mass A critical mass of something is an amount of it that makes it possible for something to happen or continue. 3
- noun critical mass the minimum mass of fissionable material that can sustain a nuclear chain reaction 3
- noun critical mass the minimum amount of money or number of people required to start or sustain an operation, business, process, etc 3
- noun critical mass the minimum amount of fissile material that can sustain a nuclear chain reaction under a given set of conditions 3
- noun critical mass the minimum amount or number required for something to happen, begin, etc. 3
- noun Technical meaning of critical mass In physics, the minimum amount of fissionable material required to sustain a chain reaction. Of a software product, describes a condition of the software such that fixing one bug introduces one plus epsilon bugs. (This malady has many causes: creeping featurism, ports to too many disparate environments, poor initial design, etc.) When software achieves critical mass, it can never be fixed; it can only be discarded and rewritten. 1
- noun critical mass Physics. the amount of a given fissionable material necessary to sustain a chain reaction at a constant rate. 1
- noun critical mass an amount necessary or sufficient to have a significant effect or to achieve a result: a critical mass of popular support. 1
- noun critical mass (physics) the amount of fissile material needed to support a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. 0
- noun critical mass the tipping point. 0