critical volume

[ krit-i-kuhl vol-yoom, ‐yuhm ]

noun

, Physics.

1. the volume occupied by a certain mass, usually one gram molecule of a liquid or gaseous substance at its critical point:

   The numerical value of the critical volume depends upon the amount of gas under experiment.

critical volume

noun

1. the volume occupied by one mole or unit mass of a substance in its critical state

Word History and Origins

Origin of critical volume¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

After the expanding universe reaches a critical volume, these quantum objects begin to interact with each other in new ways.

From Scientific American

A brief, popular, interesting, and yet critical volume, just such as we should wish to place in the hands of a young reader.

From Project Gutenberg

Peter Marks, boss of the privately owned Brook Leisure, points to the enormous fixed costs involved in running clubs – all of it predicated on getting a critical volume of people on the dance floor.

From The Guardian

Pubs can quite nicely tick over on quieter nights, but clubs absolutely have to get to that critical volume.

From The Guardian

Eliot, as his critical volume, Poetry and the Age, attests.

From Time Magazine Archive