conservation of mass


nounPhysics.
  1. the principle that in any closed system subjected to no external forces, the mass is constant irrespective of its changes in form; the principle that matter cannot be created or destroyed.

Origin of conservation of mass

1
First recorded in 1880–85
  • Also called law of conservation of mass, conservation of matter.

Words Nearby conservation of mass

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British Dictionary definitions for conservation of mass

conservation of mass

noun
  1. the principle that the total mass of any isolated system is constant and is independent of any chemical and physical changes taking place within the system

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 conservation of mass

conservation of mass

  1. A principle of classical physics stating that the total mass of a closed system is unchanged by interaction of its parts. The principle does not hold under Special Relativity, since mass and energy can be converted into one another.

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