Critical mass In nuclear engineering, critical mass is the minimum mass of the fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction in a particular setup. The critical mass of a fissionable material depends upon its nuclear properties (specific ...

is the amount of fissile material needed to sustain nuclear fission. Critical mass may also refer to:

Science and technology

Critical mass (sociodynamics) In social dynamics, critical mass is a sufficient number of adopters of a new idea, technology or innovation in a social system so that the rate of adoption becomes self-sustaining and creates further growth. The point at which critical mass is ...

, a stage in social-system innovation

Organizations and social gatherings

Critical Mass (cycling) Critical Mass is a form of direct action in which people travel as a group on bicycles at a set location and time. The idea is for people to group together to make it safe for each other to ride bicycles through their streets, based on the old ad ...

, a form of direct action or celebratory gathering involving large groups of bicycle riders * Critical Mass (pressure group), a UK political pressure group * Critical Mass Energy Project, an anti-nuclear umbrella group founded by Ralph Nader ** '' Critical Mass Journal'', published in 1977 by the Critical Mass Energy Project * Critical Mass, a co-working center sponsored by the New England Venture Capital Association * Critical Mass, a robotics team of the

Dwight-Englewood School The Dwight-Englewood School (D-E) is an independent coeducational college-preparatory day school, located in Englewood in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school teaches students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in ...

in Englewood, New Jersey

Literature

* "Critical Mass" (Arthur C. Clarke short story), 1949 * "Critical Mass" (Pohl and Kornbluth short story), by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth, 1962 * ''Critical Mass'' (book), a 2004 popular science book by Philip Ball * ''Critical Mass'', a 1990 comic book limited series published by Shadowline Saga * ''Critical Mass'', a 1994 current events book by William E. Burrows and Robert Windrem * ''Critical Mass'', a 2013 novel by

Sara Paretsky Sara Paretsky (born June 8, 1947) is an American author of detective fiction, best known for her novels focused on the protagonist V. I. Warshawski. Life and career Paretsky was born in Ames, Iowa. Her father was a microbiologist and moved the ...

* ''Critical Mass'', a 2023 novel by Daniel Suarez * ''

Critical Masses ''Critical Masses: Opposition to Nuclear Power in California, 1958–1978'' is a book written by Thomas Wellock.Thomas Raymond Wellock. ''Critical Masses: Opposition to Nuclear Power in California, 1958–1978'', The University of Wisconsin Press ...

'', a 1998 book by Thomas Wellock

Film and television

* ''Critical Mass'', a 1971 experimental short film from Hollis Frampton's ''

Hapax Legomena In corpus linguistics, a ''hapax legomenon'' ( also or ; ''hapax legomena''; sometimes abbreviated to ''hapax'', plural ''hapaxes'') is a word or an expression that occurs only once within a context: either in the written record of an entire ...

'' cycle *

Critical Mass (anime) Right Stuf Inc. (formerly known as The Right Stuf International Inc.) was an American video publisher and distributor of video programming that specialized in Asian entertainment (anime and live action films). It had several divisions includin ...

, a subdivision of the video publisher and distributor Right Stuf Inc. * ''Critical Mass'' (film), a 2000 film starring Treat Williams and Lori Loughlin * "Critical Mass" (''Adderly''), a 1986 television episode * "Critical Mass" (''Stargate Atlantis''), a 2006 television episode

Gaming

* '' Duke Nukem: Critical Mass'', a shooter game developed by Frontline Studios * ''Critical Mass'' (1985 video game) or ''Power!'', a computer game by Durell Software * ''Critical Mass'' (1982 video game), an adventure game by

Sirius Software Sirius Software was a California-based publisher of video games for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, and VIC-20. Most games were written for the Apple II, then ported to other systems. The company was founded in 1980 by Jerry Je ...

* Critical Mass, a set of collectible miniature game figures by

HeroClix HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game that uses the Clix system that centers on the world of superhero comic books, especially DC and Marvel universes. Players construct teams of comic book heroes, villains, or characters from various video ...

Music

Bands

Critical Mass (Canadian band) Critical Mass is a Canadian Christian rock music group from Waterloo Region. The band is heavily influenced by its Catholic roots. They have produced and released seven albums. Their songs have appeared on albums that have sold more than 60,00 ...

, a Catholic rock band formed in 1997 *

Critical Mass (Dutch band) Critical Mass was a Dutch happy hardcore act that was active from 1994 till 1999 during the happy hardcore period. They scored several hits in the Netherlands. Members of the group were producer Huib Schippers, Dave van Hasselaar and Ed Bout. La ...

, a Dutch happy hardcore group

Albums and songs

* ''Critical Mass'' (Dave Holland album), 2006 * ''Critical Mass'' (Threshold album), 2002 * ''Critical Mass'' (Matthew Shipp album), 1995 * ''Critical Mass'' (Ra album), 2013 * "Critical Mass", a song by Aerosmith from '' Draw the Line'' * "Critical Mass", a song by Nuclear Assault from '' Handle with Care'' * "Critical Mass", a song by Chrome from ''

Half Machine Lip Moves ''Half Machine Lip Moves'' is the third studio album by American rock band Chrome. It was released on March 15, 1979 by Siren Records. The album has been reissued several times on different labels: by Beggars Banquet Records in the United Kingd ...

'' {{disambiguation