ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes problems involving steady one-dimensional heat conduction. By steady we mean that temperatures are constant with time; as a result, the heat flow is also constant with time. By one-dimensional we mean that temperature is a function of a single "dimension" or spatial coordinate. The chapter introduces Fourier’s law of heat conduction. The kinetic theory model gives a reliable basis for determining the thermal conductivity of a gas. Molecules are in a state of random motion. Heat conduction is almost entirely due to atomic motions being transferred by lattice waves; hence, thermal conductivity is very dependent on the crystalline structure of the material. Heat transfer from a system can be increased by extending the surface area through the addition of fins. Sometimes it is not obvious that the situation resembles that for a cooling fin, yet the assumption of negligible temperature variation in the thin direction of a wire or plate gives a differential equation.
