What’s a funnel?

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A funnel is a device for directing the flow of a solid or liquid substance to a desired container or location. Simple funnels consist of a hollow cone with openings at each end. The material is poured into the wide end and directed through the narrow end. Versions of this device are used in a number of fields, from cooking to chemistry to auto maintenance. Anything that has a similar shape or function can also be called a funnel.

Ductwork is typically made of strong, chemically inert, and easy-to-clean materials. Most are designed for repeated use over long periods of time, though disposable funnels are also widely available and easy to make. Any flexible and strong material, such as sheets of cardboard or thick paper, can be curled into makeshift funnels if necessary. Small funnels serve a wide variety of uses, such as transferring food and beverages into containers or adding motor oil to a car engine. Large funnels made of strong materials are used in the production and transportation of industrial substances, such as liquefied concrete, metal or glass.

Processing chemicals, both in the laboratory and in industrial settings, requires specialized types of funnels. Some have valves called stopcocks, which allow you to control or completely stop the flow of material. This is useful for work that requires exact amounts of a given substance. Special funnels called separating funnels are used to control the rate and amount of combination of two or more chemicals. Others are equipped with filters, to separate denser materials from liquids or dust; this is one of the more common uses of funnels.

The term “funnel” is also commonly used to describe the funnel of a ship or train. This type of funnel directs rising steam or smoke from the engines into the air, away from the vehicle and its passengers. The word also describes various natural phenomena, such as tornadoes, which are commonly called “funnel clouds” if they don’t touch the ground. The funnel spider uses this distinctive shape to capture prey, as does the carnivorous plant called the pitcher plant. The device is common enough that the word is frequently used to describe any object that would more accurately be termed a “conical.”

The word is also used to describe metaphorical constructs. Anyone who diverts money from various sources into a single enterprise, legal or otherwise, is often referred to as “funneling” the funds. It is also possible to channel information, or even people, in this way. Internet users, for example, tend to filter themselves with each step it takes to make a purchase from a website — the more steps involved, the fewer people will actually make a purchase. Web designers and programmers refer to this phenomenon as a “conversion funnel.

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