Definition
In a semiconductor, the type of charge carrier that is most numerous and therefore responsible for most of the current flow. In N-type material the majority carriers are electrons (negative charges); in P-type material they are holes (positive charge vacancies).
Plain English
The dominant kind of electrical charge moving through a piece of semiconductor material. In one type of material it's electrons doing most of the work; in the other type it's holes.
Context Anchor
Seen in airport management, airline lease, airport funding, and airport planning discussions rather than in normal cockpit operation.
Derivation
From Latin major, meaning 'greater', and carrier, meaning 'one that carries'. The name simply describes which type of charge is doing the greater share of carrying current.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots don't deal with majority carriers directly, but the concept underlies every transistor, diode, and integrated circuit in modern avionics. Understanding it makes electronic system theory in maintenance and avionics study far easier to follow.
Intuition Check
Do not read “majority carriers” as simply “the biggest airlines.” Here, it means the carriers that represent more than half of the specific item being counted for that airport decision.
Example Sentence 1
In an N-type semiconductor, electrons are the majority carriers and carry most of the current.
Example Sentence 2
In the NPN transistor the majority carriers are electrons flowing from emitter to collector.