magic number
noun Physics.
the atomic number or neutron number of an exceptionally stable nuclide.
Origin of magic number
First recorded in 1945–50
Words nearby magic number
British Dictionary definitions for magic number
magic number
noun
physics
any of the numbers 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, and 126. Nuclides with these numbers of nucleons appear to have greater stability than other nuclides
chem
a number of atoms that is particularly stable in certain types of compound that have clusters of the same type of atom
Scientific definitions for magic number
magic number
[ măj′ĭk ]
Any of the numbers, 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, or 126, that represent the number of neutrons or protons in strongly bound and exceptionally stable atomic nuclei. The existence of such stable nuclei is explained by assuming a shell structure for nucleons, much like the shell structure of electron orbitals around the nucleus.