Alfvénic

adjective

Alf·vén·ic | \ ¦al(f)-¦vā-nik

How to pronounce Alfvénic (audio)

, -¦ve-\

Definition of Alfvénic

: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an Alfvén wave Alfvénic velocity In a magnetic nozzle the Alfvén speed plays a role similar to that of the sound speed in a conventional nozzle. The transition from sub-Alfvénic to super-Alfvénic flow delineates a boundary beyond which the flow downstream has no effect upstream—which ensures that the detachment exerts no drag on the rocket.— Franklin R. Chang Díaz, Scientific American, November 2000

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about Alfvénic

Dictionary Entries near Alfvénic

Statistics for Alfvénic

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for Alfvénic

The first known use of Alfvénic was in 1964

See more words from the same year

Comments on Alfvénic

What made you want to look up Alfvénic? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

comprise

to be made up of

Test Your Vocabulary

Word Puzzles

Which answer pairs best with each of the following words? living, estate, club, music, road, mile

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ