Meaning of "the tipping point"

[Papatyae]

how could we explain exactly what is the meaning of "the tipping point" idiom, this is the title of M. Gladwell's book which was the international bestseller.

[Milanya]

Main Entry: tipping point
Part of Speech: n
Definition: the culmination of a build-up of small changes that effects a big change
Etymology: from a book of this title by Malcolm Gladwell explaining epidemics

Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon

Tipping points are "the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable." Gladwell defines a tipping point as a sociological term: "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point." The book seeks to explain and describe the "mysterious" sociological changes that mark everyday life. As Gladwell states, "Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread like viruses do." The examples of such changes in his book include the rise in popularity and sales of Hush Puppies shoes in the mid-1990s and the precipitous drop in the New York City crime rate after 1990. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tipping_Point_(book)
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