conservation law

American  

noun

Physics, Chemistry.

1. any law stating that some quantity or property remains constant during and after an interaction or process, as conservation of charge or conservation of linear momentum.

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conservation law Scientific  

1. Any of various principles, such as the conservation of charge and the conservation of energy, that require some measurable property of a closed system to remain constant as the system changes. Conservation laws can be directly related to principles of symmetry.

2. See also invariance Noether's theorem

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Etymology

Origin of conservation law

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

With its shopping centers and cul-de-sacs carved into Joshua tree woodlands, Yucca Valley is probably the developed community most profoundly affected by the conservation law, said town manager Curtis Yakimow.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 30, 2025

Macaques are classified as a protected species under Thailand’s wildlife conservation law.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 3, 2024

“The Endangered Species Act is the nation’s foremost conservation law that prevents the extinction of species and supports their recovery,” Martha Williams, the director of the Fish and Wildlife Service said in a statement.

From New York Times • Jun. 21, 2023

According to a 1915 theorem by mathematician Emmy Noether, any symmetry in a physical system leads to a conservation law.

From Scientific American • Nov. 18, 2022

How inadequate a game conservation law of closed season, without regard to the breeding habits of the animal concerned!

From Adequate Preparation for the Teacher of Biological Sciences in Secondary Schools by McDonald, James Daley