Flow of a material refers to:
Continued change of the material under a given load
The consistency of a material when mixing
The homogeneity of gypsum products
Dimensional change of the material during settings
The term flow, rather than creep, has generally been used in dentistry to describe the rheology of amorphous materials.
Creep is defined as the time-dependent plastic strain of a material under a static load or constant stress.
The creep or flow is measured as the percentage decrease in length that occurs under these testing conditions.
Key Concept: Flow of a material refers to continued change of the material under a given load.
Reference: PHILLIPS’ SCIENCE OF DENTAL MATERIALS, 12th ed page no 33, 34