conservation of matter
1
3.9
- noun
- /ˌkɒnsərˈveɪʃən əv ˈmætər/
- Specialized
:
conservación de la materia
- These ideas have implications for biology instruction because the conservation of matter is fundamental to students' understanding of many metabolic processes.
- conservation of matter and energy
Examples
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In physics, the conservation of matter states that matter cannot be created or destroyed during a chemical reaction.
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Either would violate the conservation of matter.
Blog text (26) -
As was expected, physical scientists, like biologists, draw on the laws of conservation of matter and energy in their courses.
Academic text (2012) -
That is, technologies cannot contravene the laws of conservation of matter and energy, the laws of thermodynamics, or the physical properties of materials.
Academic text (1997) -
We learned to believe in the conservation of matter, to celebrate our drifting between states of being, to feel our proteins kinship.
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For example, many students believe that matter disappears during decomposition by organisms in the soil, revealing their notions about transformation and conservation of matter and energy.
Academic text (2003) -
The principle of conservation of matter is essential for understanding how ecosystems recycle nutrients.
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Students learn that the conservation of matter means the total mass of substances remains constant, even as they change forms.
Synonyms
1
4.0
The total mass in a system that does not gain or lose matter stays the same over time
1
4.1
Matter stays the same in a closed system
A rule that matter cannot be made or destroyed in a closed container, so the total amount stays the same
Surface Forms
Morphology
conservation + of + matter
The meaning is directly compositional: 'conservation' (the principle of preserving something) combined with 'matter' (physical substance) yields the scientific principle that matter is preserved or not created/destroyed. The noun phrase pattern 'conservation of X' is regular in scientific vocabulary and has close equivalents in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Conservation of matter comes from a simple image: imagine a lump of clay you can shape into a cup, a bowl, or a toy, but you never lose any clay, only its shape changes. So, it means 'matter cannot be made or destroyed in a closed box; it only changes form'.