conservation of mass

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noun Physics.

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.

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Also called law of conservation of mass, conservation of matter.

Origin of conservation of mass

First recorded in 1880–85

Words nearby conservation of mass

conservation of baryon number, conservation of charge, conservation of energy, conservation of lepton number, conservation of linear momentum, conservation of mass, conservation of momentum, conservation of parity, conservation status, conservatism, conservative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use conservation of mass in a sentence

Their bodies were later found incinerated and buried in mass graves outside of town.
Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Beyond the huge American flag that hung over the street, the mile-long mass of cops ended.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss|Michael Daly|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“The United States had gone to war declaring it must destroy an active weapons of mass destruction program,” the Times reported.
Political Memes That Absolutely Must Die in 2015|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Google itself has taken a break and put plans for mass production on hold.
You Were Wrong About Miley & Bitcoin: 2014’s Failed Predictions|Nina Strochlic|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A colleague overheard two conservative Mass. lawmakers talking about what “the gays” could do.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality|E.J. Graff|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Charred beams and blackened walls showed stark and gaunt in the glow of a smoldering mass of wreckage.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
But hitherto, before these new ideas began to spread in our community, the mass of men and women definitely settled down.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
The Turks were no longer in mass but extended in several lines, less than a pace between each man.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Thus among the huge mass of accumulated commodities the simplest wants would go unsatisfied.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
You never know when you are going to stumble upon a jewel in the most out-of-the-way corner.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay

British Dictionary definitions for conservation of mass

conservation of mass

noun

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

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.