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Re: What Flows?



On Mon, 9 Sep 1996, Van E. Neie wrote:

transferred" -- that would be fine -- as in I transfer money from one bank
to another, but the money doesn't "flow" -- dollar bills don't move.

I agree that we ought to be careful not to use the same terms for different
things, but I'm just as confused as everyone else. If I can't use "flow"
for the fear that it implies a substance (although who said only material
can flow?), what CAN I use?

A similar situation occurs with waves. When water waves move across a
pond, what flows? Energy? A pattern? Should we say that waves
"propagate" rather than flow, since the word "flow" implies a substance?
And if the term "flow of heat" is forbidden, how about "propagation of
internal energy?" Or "propagation of thermal vibrations?" It does move
from place to place, even if there is no flowing substance involved. And
the acoustic and EM components of internal energy certainly are wavelike.

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