Fourier's law of heat conduction
E75374
Fourier's law of heat conduction is a fundamental physical principle that relates heat flux within a material to the negative gradient of temperature, forming the basis of classical heat transfer theory.
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
constitutive relation
→
heat transfer law → physical law → |
| analogousTo |
Fick's first law of diffusion
→
Ohm's law for electrical conduction → |
| appliesTo |
anisotropic materials
→
gases → isotropic materials → liquids → solids → |
| assumes |
continuum hypothesis
→
linear response to temperature gradient → local thermodynamic equilibrium → |
| basisOf |
classical heat conduction theory
→
heat equation → |
| classification | phenomenological law → |
| describes | linear relationship between heat flux and temperature gradient → |
| expressedAs |
q = -k ∇T
→
q_i = -k_{ij} ∂T/∂x_j → |
| field |
continuum mechanics
→
heat transfer → statistical physics → thermodynamics → |
| governs |
steady-state heat conduction
→
transient heat conduction → |
| historicalOrigin | Joseph Fourier's work on heat conduction in the early 19th century → |
| introducedInWork | Théorie analytique de la chaleur → |
| mayFailWhen |
at very low temperatures
→
for ballistic heat transport → in nanoscale systems → |
| namedAfter |
Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier
→
surface form:
Joseph Fourier
|
| parameter |
scalar thermal conductivity in isotropic media
→
thermal conductivity tensor → |
| quantityDescribed |
heat flux vector
→
thermal conductivity → |
| relates |
heat flux
→
temperature gradient → |
| states | heat flux is proportional to the negative temperature gradient → |
| usedIn |
electronics cooling
→
engineering heat transfer analysis → geophysics → materials science → thermal design of structures → |
| usesSymbol |
T
→
k → q → ∇ → |
| validWhen |
heat transfer is diffusive
→
mean free path is small compared to system size → |
| yearProposed | 1822 → |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier