Thermal Properties of Matter - Heat Transfer (Conduction, Convection, and Radiation)
Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.
πConcepts
Heat transfer is the flow of thermal energy from a body at a higher temperature to a body at a lower temperature via three modes: Conduction, Convection, and Radiation.
Conduction is the process of heat transfer in solids through molecular vibrations without the actual movement of the particles. The rate of heat flow depends on the material's thermal conductivity .
Convection involves the transfer of heat by the actual movement of the fluid (liquid or gas) particles. It can be natural (buoyancy-driven) or forced (pump/fan-driven).
Radiation is the transfer of energy through electromagnetic waves and does not require a material medium. All bodies above emit thermal radiation.
Thermal Resistance is analogous to electrical resistance and is defined as the ratio of temperature difference to the rate of heat flow: .
A Black Body is an ideal surface that absorbs all incident electromagnetic radiation. Its emissive power is governed by the Stefan-Boltzmann Law.
Wien's Displacement Law states that the wavelength corresponding to maximum spectral emissive power is inversely proportional to the absolute temperature .
Newton's Law of Cooling states that the rate of loss of heat of a body is directly proportional to the difference in temperature between the body and its surroundings, provided the difference is small.
πFormulae
π‘Examples
Problem 1:
A metal rod of length and cross-sectional area has its ends maintained at and . If the thermal conductivity is , find the rate of heat flow.
Solution:
Given: , , , , . Using the formula:
Explanation:
The rate of heat flow is calculated using the steady-state conduction formula, where heat flows from the higher temperature end to the lower temperature end.
Problem 2:
A body cools from to in minutes. If the surrounding temperature is , find the time it will take to cool from to .
Solution:
Case 1: . . Case 2: . .
Explanation:
We apply the average form of Newton's Law of Cooling for two different intervals to find the constant and then the unknown time .