heat sink

American  

noun

1. Thermodynamics. any environment or medium that absorbs heat.

2. Electronics. Also heatsink a metallic heat exchanger designed to absorb and dissipate excess heat from one of the devices, as a transistor or resistor, in a circuit.

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heat sink British  

noun

1. a metal plate specially designed to conduct and radiate heat from an electrical component

2. a layer of material placed within the outer skin of high-speed aircraft to absorb heat

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heat sink Scientific  

1. A protective device that absorbs and dissipates the excess heat generated by a system.

2. An environment capable of absorbing heat from substances within it (and with which it is in thermal contact) without an appreciable change in its own temperature and without a change in its own phase.

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heat sink Cultural  

1. A reservoir for excess heat, especially in a mechanical or electrical device.

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Discover More

One obstacle to the loading of circuits onto microprocessors is the heat generated by electrical circuits. Effective heat sinks, such as metal fins on top of a microprocessor, can provide part of the solution to this problem.

Etymology

Origin of heat sink

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

To ensure that the phone remains a safe temperature during wireless charging, the 9 Pro includes thicker copper and a larger heat sink than its predecessor.

From The Verge

This effectively turns the back of the chip into a heat sink, and offers great cooling performance.

From Nature

Eventually, models and paleoclimate records suggest, these waters will warm—not only eliminating a heat sink, but also spurring the formation of clouds above them that will trap more heat.

From Science Magazine

The materials absorb and then emit infrared energy at specific wavelengths, which pass straight through the atmosphere and into space — effectively linking them to an inexhaustible heat sink.

From Nature

That effectively links the materials to an inexhaustible heat sink, into which they can keep dumping heat without it coming back.

From Nature