ABSTRACT
This chapter presents some results of inverse problems in the area of nonlinear heat conduction. The nonlinearities arise because the thermal properties depend on temperature. It is assumed that this nonlinearity is slight so that an appropriate linearized model can be used. There are several advantages to using a linearized model. The scope of nonlinear analysis is such that it cannot be encompassed in one general framework but must instead be discussed on a case-by-case basis. The success of such methods depends on two factors. One is that the linearized portion of the model dominates the nonlinear terms. The common approach is to solve a sequence of linear problems such that each solution gets closer to the nonlinear one. The usual successful approach to nonlinear problems is to take advantage of all the knowledge garnered about a system and to experiment with different assumptions and methods.
