Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun chemistry, physics The
energy required toinitiate areaction . For example, the flame from thefuse of afirecracker provides a small initial amount of energy, after which the explosive reaction proceeds by itself, releasing a considerably larger quantity of energy. A small push given to a stable but top-heavy object may cause it to fall over; the potential energy released during the fall was present in the system all along but could not be realized as long as the object was upright and balanced.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the energy that an atomic system must acquire before a process (such as an emission or reaction) can occur
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word activation energy.
Examples
Sorry, no example sentences found.
sionnach commented on the word activation energy
I could definitely use more of this in the mornings.
September 12, 2009