Encyclopedia > Thermal diffusivity

  Article Content

Thermal diffusivity

In heat transfer analysis, thermal diffusivity is the ratio of thermal conductivity to heat capacity.

<math>\alpha = {k \over {\rho c_p}}</math>

where k is thermal conductivity and ρcp is heat capacity. Units are mē/s.

Substances with high α will rapidly adjust their temperature to that of surroundings, because they conduct heat quickly in comparison to their thermal 'bulk'.

See also thermodynamics.



All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

 
  Search Encyclopedia

Search over one million articles, find something about almost anything!
 
 
  
  Featured Article
DB

... dB is the abbreviation for Decibel; see Bel DB is a French automobile maker; see DB (car) DB is the abbreviation for Deutsche Bahn, the major German railw ...

 
 
 
This page was created in 25 ms