flux
a flowing or flow.
the flowing in of the tide.
continuous change, passage, or movement: His political views are in a state of flux.
Physics.
the rate of flow of fluid, particles, or energy.
a quantity expressing the strength of a field of force in a given area.
Chemistry, Metallurgy.
a substance used to refine metals by combining with impurities to form a molten mixture that can be readily removed.
a substance used to remove oxides from and prevent further oxidation of fused metal, as in soldering or hot-dip coating.
(in the refining of scrap or other metal) a salt or mixture of salts that combines with nonmetallic impurities, causing them to float or coagulate.
to melt; make fluid.
to fuse by the use of flux.
Obsolete. to purge.
to flow.
Origin of flux
1Other words for flux
Other words from flux
- non·flux, noun
- su·per·flux, noun
- trans·flux, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use flux in a sentence
The publishing industry has been in flux since the turn of the century, but 2020 has been a year like no other.
Deep Dive: How the future of publishing is taking shape in the ongoing coronavirus crisis era | Pierre Bienaimé | November 17, 2020 | DigidayIt’s comforting to suppose that what we call reality is fixed, or at least predictably in flux.
We Never Know Exactly Where We’re Going in Outer Space - Issue 92: Frontiers | Caleb Scharf | November 4, 2020 | NautilusUntil you have your foundational players, your franchise should be in a state of flux.
Daryl Morey Made A Lot Of Trades. How Much Did They Help The Rockets? | Jared Dubin | October 22, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight“These fluxes affect the amount of carbon a forest can store,” he explains.
The faster trees grow, the younger they die | Alison Pearce Stevens | October 20, 2020 | Science News For StudentsUnlike plastic, which molds and then retains a particular shape, the brain’s physical structure is continually in flux.
Your Brain Makes You a Different Person Every Day - Issue 91: The Amazing Brain | Steve Paulson | October 14, 2020 | Nautilus
Various prepared fluxing powders are on the market for this work, practically all of them producing satisfactory results.
Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Cutting | Harold P. ManlyCalcined borax may also be mixed with about 15 per cent of sal ammoniac to make a satisfactory fluxing powder.
Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Cutting | Harold P. ManlyTheir fluxing action does not depend on the removal of silicon as fluoride.
A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. | Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob BeringerLife is vastly different from mere chemic matter fluxing in high modes of notion.
The Jacket (The Star-Rover) | Jack LondonAll such things no longer are, for they were forms, manifestations of fluxing matter ere they melted into the flux again.
The Jacket (The Star-Rover) | Jack London
British Dictionary definitions for flux
/ (flʌks) /
a flow or discharge
continuous change; instability
a substance, such as borax or salt, that gives a low melting-point mixture with a metal oxide. It is used for cleaning metal surfaces during soldering, etc, and for protecting the surfaces of liquid metals
metallurgy a chemical used to increase the fluidity of refining slags in order to promote the rate of chemical reaction
a similar substance used in the making of glass
physics
the rate of flow of particles, energy, or a fluid, through a specified area, such as that of neutrons (neutron flux) or of light energy (luminous flux)
the strength of a field in a given area expressed as the product of the area and the component of the field strength at right angles to the area: magnetic flux; electric flux
pathol an excessive discharge of fluid from the body, such as watery faeces in diarrhoea
the act or process of melting; fusion
(in the philosophy of Heraclitus) the state of constant change in which all things exist
to make or become fluid
(tr) to apply flux to (a metal, soldered joint, etc)
(tr) an obsolete word for purge
Origin of flux
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for flux
[ flŭks ]
The rate of flow of fluids, particles, or energy across a given surface or area.
The presence of a field of force in a region of space, represented as a set of lines indicating the direction of the force. The density of the lines indicates the strength of the force. Lines used to represent magnetic fields in depictions of magnets, for example, follow the lines of flux of the field. See also field magnetic flux.
A measure of the strength of such a field.
A readily fusible glass or enamel used as a base in ceramic work.
An additive that improves the flow of plastics during fabrication.
A substance applied to a surface to be joined by welding, soldering, or brazing to facilitate the flowing of solder and prevent formation of oxides.
A substance used in a smelting furnace to make metals melt more easily.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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