Introduction to Fourier’s Law - Lesson 1

Consider that there is a metal pot on a stove. Inside it, the water is boiling. We know that at this moment, different heat transfer activities are going on, i.e., the stove keeps putting heat energy into the pot and the pot and the water keep giving away energy to the ambiance. However, in the study of heat transfer, we say such a system is in steady-state. Why is this and how can we explain it physically and mathematically?

Lecture

In this lesson, we will introduce Fourier’s law and the steady-state thermal analysis based on it.

Alternate video link.

Handout

Here are the accompanying handout slides for this lesson.