Sink
In plumbing, a sink is a bowl-shaped device, usually made of porcelain, that is used for washing hands or small objects such as nylons, socks or underwear. When a sink becomes stopped-up or clogged, a person will often resort to use of chemical drain cleaner or a plunger.
In electromagnetic theory sink and source are respectively the termination or supply of current flow; the divergence of the current density is their negative and positive, respectively.
More generally this idea can be applied to vector fields other than current density; for example, mass is a sink of gravitational field strength.
A TTL (Transistor Transistor Logic) circuit will "sink" current when the circuit is a logic "0" (grd) and "source" current at a logic "1" (+5vdc).
[These terms are far more generally used than just in digital electronics.]
Indeed, they antedate digital electronics. They are used in thermodynamics, which originated in the 19th century, and also for other physical systems such as rivers. Would some physicist complete this article?]
Referenced By
Divergence | Domestic technology
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