What is "flux"

Flux \Flux\ (fl[u^]ks), n. [L. fluxus, fr. fluere, fluxum, to flow: cf.F. flux. See Fluent, and cf. 1st & 2d Floss, Flush, n., 6.]

1. The act of flowing; a continuous moving on or passing by, as of a flowing stream; constant succession; change.

   By the perpetual flux of the liquids, a great part of them is thrown out of the body.
   --Arbuthnot.

   Her image has escaped the flux of things, And that same infant beauty that she wore Is fixed upon her now forevermore.
   --Trench.

   Languages, like our bodies, are in a continual flux.
   --Felton.

2. The setting in of the tide toward the shore, -- the ebb being called the reflux.

3. The state of being liquid through heat; fusion.

4. (Chem. & Metal.) Any substance or mixture used to promote the fusion of metals or minerals, as alkalies, borax, lime, fluorite.

   Note: White flux is the residuum of the combustion of a mixture of equal parts of niter and tartar. It consists chiefly of the carbonate of potassium, and is white. -- Black flux is the ressiduum of the combustion of one part of niter and two of tartar, and consists essentially of a mixture of potassium carbonate and charcoal.

5. (Med.)

   1. A fluid discharge from the bowels or other part; especially, an excessive and morbid discharge; as, the bloody flux or dysentery. See Bloody flux.

   2. The matter thus discharged.

6. (Physics) The quantity of a fluid that crosses a unit area of a given surface in a unit of time.

Flux \Flux\, a. [L. fluxus, p. p. of fluere. See Flux, n.] Flowing; unstable; inconstant; variable.

The flux nature of all things here.
--Barrow.

Flux \Flux\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fluxed (fl[u^]kst); p. pr. & vb. n. Fluxing.]

1. To affect, or bring to a certain state, by flux.

   He might fashionably and genteelly . . . have been dueled or fluxed into another world.
   --South.

2. To cause to become fluid; to fuse.
   --Kirwan.

3. (Med.) To cause a discharge from; to purge.

late 14c., "abnormally copious flow," from Old French flus "a flowing, a rolling; a bleeding" (Modern French flux), or directly from Latin fluxus (adj.) "flowing, loose, slack," past participle of fluere "to flow" (see fluent). Originally "excessive flow" (of blood or excrement), it also was an early name for "dysentery;" sense of "continuous succession of changes" is first recorded 1620s. The verb is early 15c., from the noun.

1. (cx uncommon English) Flowing; unstable; inconstant; variable. n. 1 The act of flowing; a continuous moving on or passing by, as of a flowing stream. 2 A state of ongoing change. 3 A chemical agent for cleaning metal prior to soldering or welding. 4 (context physics English) The rate of transfer of energy (or another physical quantity) through a given surface, specifically electric flux, magnetic flux. 5 (context archaic English) A disease which causes diarrhea, especially dysentery. 6 (context archaic English) diarrhea or other fluid discharge from the body 7 The state of being liquid through heat; fusion. v

2. 1 To use flux. 2 To melt. 3 To flow as a liquid.

1. v. move or progress freely as if in a stream; "The crowd flowed out of the stadium" [syn: flow]

2. become liquid or fluid when heated; "the frozen fat liquefied" [syn: liquefy, liquify]

3. mix together different elements; "The colors blend well" [syn: blend, mix, conflate, commingle, immix, fuse, coalesce, meld, combine, merge]

1. n. the rate of flow of energy or particles across a given surface

2. a flow or discharge [syn: fluxion]

3. a substance added to molten metals to bond with impurities that can then be readily removed

4. excessive discharge of liquid from a cavity or organ (as in watery diarrhea)

5. a state of uncertainty about what should be done (usually following some important event) preceding the establishment of a new direction of action; "the flux following the death of the emperor" [syn: state of flux]

6. the lines of force surrounding a permanent magnet or a moving charged particle [syn: magnetic field, magnetic flux]

7. (physics) the number of flux changes per unit area [syn: flux density]

8. in constant change; "his opinions are in flux"; "the newness and flux of the computer industry"

Flux is either of two separate simple and ubiquitous concepts throughout physics and applied mathematics. Within a discipline, the term is generally used consistently, but care must be taken when comparing phenomena from different disciplines. Both concepts have mathematical rigor, enabling comparison of the underlying math when the terminology is unclear. For transport phenomena, flux is a vector quantity, describing the magnitude and direction of the flow of a substance or property. In electromagnetism, flux is a scalar quantity, defined as the surface integral of the component of a vector field perpendicular to the surface at each point. As will be made clear, the easiest way to relate the two concepts is that the surface integral of a flux according to the first definition is a flux according to the second definition.

In metallurgy, a flux (derived from Latin fluxus meaning “flow”) is a chemical cleaning agent, flowing agent, or purifying agent. Fluxes may have more than one function at a time. They are used in both extractive metallurgy and metal joining.

Some of the earliest known fluxes were carbonate of soda, potash, charcoal, coke, borax, lime, lead sulfide and certain minerals containing phosphorus. Iron ore was also used as a flux in the smelting of copper. These agents served various functions, the simplest being a reducing agent which prevented oxides from forming on the surface of the molten metal, while others absorbed impurities into the slag which could be scraped off the molten metal. As cleaning agents, fluxes facilitate soldering, brazing, and welding by removing oxidation from the metals to be joined. Common fluxes are: ammonium chloride or rosin for soldering tin; hydrochloric acid and zinc chloride for soldering galvanized iron (and other zinc surfaces); and borax for brazing, braze-welding ferrous metals, and forge welding.

In the process of smelting, inorganic chlorides, fluorides (see fluorite), limestone and other materials are designated as "fluxes" when added to the contents of a smelting furnace or a cupola for the purpose of purging the metal of chemical impurities such as phosphorus, and of rendering slag more liquid at the smelting temperature. The slag is a liquid mixture of ash, flux, and other impurities. This reduction of slag viscosity with temperature, increasing the flow of slag in smelting, is the original origin of the word flux in metallurgy. Fluxes are also used in foundries for removing impurities from molten nonferrous metals such as aluminum, or for adding desirable trace elements such as titanium.

In high-temperature metal joining processes (welding, brazing and soldering), the primary purpose of flux is to prevent oxidation of the base and filler materials. Tin-lead solder (e.g.) attaches very well to copper, but poorly to the various oxides of copper, which form quickly at soldering temperatures. Flux is a substance which is nearly inert at room temperature, but which becomes strongly reducing at elevated temperatures, preventing the formation of metal oxides. Additionally, flux allows solder to flow easily on the working piece rather than forming beads as it would otherwise.

The role of a flux in joining processes is typically dual: dissolving of the oxides on the metal surface, which facilitates wetting by molten metal, and acting as an oxygen barrier by coating the hot surface, preventing its oxidation. In some applications molten flux also serves as a heat transfer medium, facilitating heating of the joint by the soldering tool or molten solder.

Fluxes for soft soldering are typically of organic nature, though inorganic fluxes, usually based on halogenides and/or acids, are also used in non-electronics applications. Fluxes for brazing operate at significantly higher temperatures and are therefore mostly inorganic; the organic compounds tend to be of supplementary nature.

Flux comes from Latin and means flow.

Flux is a 1993 science fiction novel by British author Stephen Baxter. It is the third book in Baxter's Xeelee Sequence.

Flux is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a gamma empowered soldier and is one of the Hulk's enemies.

Flux is the fourth and final album by Love Spirals Downwards, an ethereal wave band on the US record label, Projekt Records. It is stylistically quite different from their previous albums, displaying elements of atmospheric drum and bass.

Flux, or metabolic flux is the rate of turnover of molecules through a metabolic pathway. Flux is regulated by the enzymes involved in a pathway. Within cells, regulation of flux is vital for all metabolic pathways to regulate the pathway's activity under different conditions. Flux is therefore of great interest in metabolic network modelling, where it is analysed via flux balance analysis.

In this manner, flux is the movement of matter through metabolic networks that are connected by metabolites and cofactors, and is therefore a way of describing the activity of the metabolic network as a whole using a single characteristic.

The Flux is a fictional fluid/force used in Galactik Football when in action, allowing players to perform amazing feats of acrobatic and athletic prowess. It is portrayed in Galactik Football as a constantly shifting aura around the person using it, and although its primary use is for physical enhancement (i.e. increased speed and strength), it can be used in many other ways.

According to what is mentioned in the series, each Flux is formed according to the nature, geology and even the shape of a planet.

Although players are able to control foreign Fluxes, they are usually seen falling ill when they overuse it, the mix most likely being too much for their body.

Flux is a software suite released by Media Machines which consists of Flux Player and Flux Studio.

Flux Player is a VRML/ X3D viewer that works both as plugin in Internet Explorer, and as standalone program in Windows. Flux Studio is a VRML/ X3D editor that works in Windows. Both programs supports Windows Me/2000 and higher.

Flux Player and Flux Studio are freely downloadable for any usage under a proprietary Flux Player and Flux Studio license.

Flux software is developed by Tony Parisi, who coworked with Mark Pesce on the development of the experimental VRML prototype called Labyrinth. Flux Studio can successfully import and export *.WRL, *.X3DV and *.X3D files.

Initial distribution version of Flux Player 2.0 and Flux Studio 2.0 was released on February 21, 2007; while final distribution version of Flux Player 2.1 and Flux Studio 2.1 was released on May 28, 2007.

"Flux" is a song by English rock band Bloc Party. It was released as a single on 12 November 2007 and produced by Jacknife Lee, along with several other new songs, during the band's week in the studio after their performances at the Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds Festivals. The song uses mostly electronic instruments and features vocalist Kele Okereke's voice manipulated through auto-tune. It was first performed live on 26 September 2007 at Covington's Madison Theater.

CD1 of the set was only released as a free CD through the 14 November 2007 issue of NME. The song peaked at number 8 in the UK Singles Chart as the band's fourth UK Top 10 single. "Flux" is featured on the re-released version of Bloc Party's second studio album A Weekend in the City and on the North American version of their third album Intimacy.

Flux is a software company that develops and licenses software products targeted for the Workflow, Job Scheduling, and Managed File Transfer. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Flux also has offices in Boulder, Houston, Memphis, and Montana.

In general, flux in biology relates to movement of a substance between compartments. There are several cases where the concept of flux is important.

• The movement of molecules across a membrane: in this case, flux is defined by the rate of diffusion or transport of a substance across a permeable membrane. Except in the case of active transport, net flux is directly proportional to the concentration difference across the membrane, the surface area of the membrane, and the membrane permeability constant.
• In ecology, flux is often considered at the ecosystem level - for instance, accurate determination of carbon fluxes using techniques like eddy covariance (at a regional and global level) is essential for modeling the causes and consequences of global warming.
• Metabolic flux refers to the rate of flow of metabolites through a biochemical network, along a linear metabolic pathway, or through a single enzyme. A calculation may also be made of carbon flux or flux of other elemental components of biomolecules (e.g. nitrogen). The general unit of flux is chemical mass /time (e.g., micromole/minute; mg/kg/minute). Flux rates are dependent on a number of factors, including: enzyme concentration; the concentration of precursor, product, and intermediate metabolites; post-translational modification of enzymes; and the presence of metabolic activators or repressors. Metabolic flux in biologic systems can refer to biosynthesis rates of polymers or other macromolecules, such as proteins, lipids, polynucleotides, or complex carbohydrates, as well as the flow of intermediary metabolites through pathways Metabolic control analysis and flux balance analysis provide frameworks for understanding metabolic fluxes and their constraints.

Flux is the fourth solo album from Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson. It is his first for Eagle Rock Entertainment and features guest appearances by Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke and former Hookah Brown bandmate John Hogg.

VOTEFLUX.ORG Upgrade Democracy! (Flux) is a minor political party in Australia. It was registered with the Australian Electoral Commission on 29 March 2016. Flux was previously known as Neutral Voting Bloc. Its platform is to change the way that decisions are made, not to influence the actual decisions.

The party intends to implement delegative democracy by using blockchain technology (as used in Bitcoin) to enable members of the public to directly vote on legislation they are interested in to guide delegates (rather than representatives) in parliament.

The Flux Party was founded by two Bitcoin consultants, Max Kaye and Nathan Spataro. Flux intends to be part of the Minor Party Alliance to maximise preferences

In the 2016 federal election VOTEFLUX.ORG | Upgrade Democracy! will field two senate candidates in every state, and one in the Australian Capital Territory.