conservation of mass

noun phrase

: a principle in classical physics: the total mass of any isolated material system is neither increased nor diminished by reactions between the parts

called also conservation of matter

Examples of conservation of mass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Many of them, like Newton’s laws of motion or the law of conservation of mass in chemical reactions, are expressed in a rigorous mathematical form. —Dina Genkina, Ars Technica, 8 Aug. 2023

If that was the case, then the city’s rental frenzy defied not just laws of supply and demand but also conservation of mass. —Lane Brown, Curbed, 27 Jan. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

conservation of mass

: a principle in physics that states that mass can neither be created nor destroyed and that the total mass of any material system is neither increased nor decreased by reactions between the parts

called also conservation of matter

Medical Definition

conservation of mass

noun

: a principle in classical physics: the total mass of any material system is neither increased nor diminished by reactions between the parts

called also conservation of matter, law of conservation of matter