# flow (movement)

Motion of many parts of matter together through one place.

- Computed level: L3 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: published  ·  Domain: physics  ·  Arena: E1

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [motion](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-motion.movement), [matter](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-matter.substance), [part](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-part.relation), [space](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-space.extent)

**Through:** Many parts of matter move together through space while maintaining a coherent pattern as a whole.

**Novel properties:**
- collective motion
- pattern persistence
- spatial continuity

## Examples
- The Gulf Stream carries 1.4 billion cubic meters of seawater per hour from the Gulf of Mexico to Europe. *(physics)*
- Blood flows through the human aorta at about 30 cm/s during systole, transporting oxygen from the heart to tissues. *(biology)*
- The 2023 eruption of Mauna Loa funneled lava flows at speeds up to 1 km/h across 12 square kilometers of terrain. *(geology)*

## Used by
- [air](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-air.material) (L4)
- [channel](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-channel.waterway) (L15)
- [connects](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-connects.verb) (L7)
- [current](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-current.fluid) (L4)
- [device](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-device.tool) (L5)
- [electrical](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-electrical.electrical) (L7)
- [electricity](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-electricity.electrical) (L6)
- [fluid](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-fluid.liquid) (L13)
- [gas](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-gas.state) (L13)
- [machine](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-machine.constructed-system) (L6)
- [metal](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-metal.element) (L13)
- [plug](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-plug.electrical) (L8)
- [river](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-river.watercourse) (L15)
- [water](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-water.liquid) (L14)

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-flow.movement*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-flow.movement.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*