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physical phenomena > process > physical process > motion > mass motion > contraction > collapse

collapse comparison table

Subject	is followed by	has symmetry	has definition
axisymmetric collapse		cylindrical	Collapse of mass in such a way that the mass maintains the symmetry of a cylinder.
free-fall			A collapse in which gas clouds do not hit or impede one another. According to ELS, the Galactic halo formed in a free-fall collapse.
gravitational collapse			The sudden collapse of a massive star when the radiation pressure outward is no longer sufficient to balance the gravitational pressure inward. In gravitational collapse there is a sudden, catastrophic release of great quantities of gravitational potential energy, and this release has been postulated as the cause of supernovae, neutron stars, and black holes.
spherical collapse	gravitational collapse	spherical	Initial stage in the collapse of a star, followed by gravitational collapse and finally singularity.

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