Critical mass is a sociodynamic term to describe the existence of sufficient momentum in a social system such that the momentum becomes self-sustaining and fuels further growth. Social dynamics is the study of the ability of a Society to react to inner and outer changes and deal with its regulation mechanisms In Classical mechanics, momentum ( pl momenta SI unit kg · m/s, or equivalently N · s) is the product

As a simple example, consider a big city. If a person stops and looks up at the sky, nothing will happen. People nearby will go on about their business. If three people stop and look up at the sky, perhaps some people will momentarily turn around, but then continue on their way. But only a small number of people is required— say, 5 to 7 (depending on such factors as the culture, time of day, width of the street, etc) — to cause others to stop and look up at the sky, too. This number is called the "critical mass" or tipping point.

Social factors influencing critical mass may involve the size, interrelatedness and level of communication in a society or one of its subcultures. Another is social stigma, or the possibility of public advocacy due to such a factor. Critical mass may be closer to majority consensus in political circles, where the most effective position is more often that held by the majority of people in society. In this sense, small changes in public consensus can bring about swift changes in political consensus, due to the majority-dependent effectiveness of certain ideas as tools of political debate.

Critical mass is a concept used in a variety of contexts, including physics, group dynamics, politics, public opinion, and technology. Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. Group dynamics is the study of groups and also a general term for group processes Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions That the manufacture of consent is capable of great refinements no one I think denies Technology is a broad concept that deals with a Species ' usage and knowledge of Tools and Crafts and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt

See also

• Bandwagon effect
• Positive feedback

References

• Philip Ball: Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, ISBN 0374530416

The bandwagon effect, also known as Social proof or "cromo effect" and closely related to opportunism, is the observation that people often do and believe Positive feedback, sometimes referred to as "cumulative causation" is a Feedback loop system in which the system responds to perturbation in the same direction Philip Ball (born 1962 is an English Science writer. He holds a degree in chemistry from Oxford and a doctorate in physics from Bristol University

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