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The law of heat conduction, also known as Fourier's law (compare Fourier's heat equation), states that the rate of heat transfer through a material is proportional to the negative gradient in the temperature and to the area, at right angles to that gradient, through which the heat flows.
For heat flow, the heat equation follows from the physical laws of conduction of heat and conservation of energy (Cannon 1984). By Fourier's law for an isotropic medium, the rate of flow of heat energy per unit area through a surface is proportional to the negative temperature gradient across it: =
In the study of heat conduction, the Fourier number, is the ratio of time, , to a characteristic time scale for heat diffusion, . This dimensionless group is named in honor of J.B.J. Fourier , who formulated the modern understanding of heat conduction. [ 1 ]
Fourier heat conduction equation. Add languages. ... Download as PDF; ... Redirect page. Redirect to: Thermal conduction#Fourier's law;
The thermal conductivity of a material is a measure of its ability to conduct heat.It is commonly denoted by , , or and is measured in W·m −1 ·K −1.. Heat transfer occurs at a lower rate in materials of low thermal conductivity than in materials of high thermal conductivity.
Heat is the flow of thermal energy driven by thermal non-equilibrium, so the term 'heat flow' is a redundancy (i.e. a pleonasm). Heat must not be confused with stored thermal energy, and moving a hot object from one place to another must not be called heat transfer. However, it is common to say ‘heat flow’ to mean ‘heat content’. [1]
Thermal contact resistance is significant and may dominate for good heat conductors such as metals but can be neglected for poor heat conductors such as insulators. [2] Thermal contact conductance is an important factor in a variety of applications, largely because many physical systems contain a mechanical combination of two materials.
A 2008 review paper written by Philips researcher Clemens J. M. Lasance notes that: "Although there is an analogy between heat flow by conduction (Fourier's law) and the flow of an electric current (Ohm’s law), the corresponding physical properties of thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity conspire to make the behavior of heat flow ...