What are energy fluxes?

Energy fluxes are like rivers of energy moving from one place to another.

Imagine you're playing with a water toy, when you push the button, water flows out. That’s energy moving from your toy to the water around it. Energy flux is just that, how much energy moves from one spot to another in a certain amount of time.

Think about hot cocoa cooling down on your table. The heat (which is a type of energy) flows from the cocoa into the air and the table. That’s an energy flux, it's like a little stream of warmth moving out of the cup and into everything around it.

Now imagine you're holding a cold drink on a hot day. The heat moves from the warm air to your drink, making it warmer. That’s another energy flux, but this time going the other way!

Energy fluxes can happen anywhere, in your body, in the sun, even in the ground beneath your feet. They’re just streams of energy moving around, like rivers, but with heat or light instead of water!