megmaradás

Megmaradás is a Hungarian noun that denotes both the principle that certain quantities remain unchanged under specified conditions and the act of remaining or persisting over time. It is derived from the verb marad ("to remain") with the prefix meg-, which conveys a sense of a completed or stable state. In everyday language, megmaradás describes persistence, continuity, or retention.

In science and engineering, megmaradás is most often used to refer to conservation laws (megmaradási törvények). These laws state that specific quantities do not change in isolated systems or during interactions. Classic examples include energia megmaradása (conservation of energy), lineáris lendület megmaradása (conservation of linear momentum), forgási lendület megmaradása (conservation of angular momentum), and elektromos töltés megmaradása (conservation of electric charge). Tömegmegmaradás (conservation of mass) has been foundational in chemistry and classical mechanics; in relativistic physics, mass-energy equivalence is also acknowledged.

In broader or non-scientific use, megmaradás can refer to persistence or continuity of a state, tradition, or entity over time. It can describe the enduring presence of a tradition, an institution, or a lineage, though in many contexts more specialized terms such as megőrzés or fenntartás are used.