point mass
A "point mass" is a simplified model in physics and statistics, used to focus on mass and probability without considering size or volume.
Definition
C1Physics
(technical, academic)An idealized object with mass but no volume, used to simplify the analysis of motion and gravitational forces.
Example
- In orbital mechanics, planets are often treated as point masses to simplify calculations.
C1Statistics
(technical, academic)A probability distribution where all the probability is concentrated at a single outcome.
Example
- A point mass distribution can represent a certain event with 100% probability.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "point mass":
point sourcedouble pointcritical pointfixed pointextreme pointhit pointdata pointreporting pointpoint of contactrun pointpoint at infinitypoint personpivot pointpoint of interestpoint manaxial pointpoint of referencetrig pointbullet pointpressure pointtrigger pointtake pointaction pointdecimal pointtriple pointdeep pointon pointfocal point