Rate of Heat Loss

1. Dec 6, 2003

franz32

Hello everyone.

1. What is Newton's Law of cooling?

2. The factors that affect the rate of cooling of a body are nature of a substance and temp. gradient. What are those?

3. How does each affect the cooling of a body? Are each of them varies directly with it?

2. Dec 6, 2003

HallsofIvy

Staff Emeritus
"Newton's law of cooling" says that when two bodies are placed in contact, heat will flow from the body with higher temperature to the body with lower temperature at a rate proportional to the difference in the temperatures.

"2. The factors that affect the rate of cooling of a body are nature of a substance and temp. gradient. What are those?"

I'm sorry? Are you asking "what is the nature of a substance"?
"temp. gradient" is the "difference in the temperatures" above.

3. Dec 7, 2003

franz32

Hello..

in 2, yes, what i meant is "what is the nature of a substance". thank you.

4. Dec 7, 2003

Staff: Mentor

This just means that substances vary in their ability to conduct heat. (For example: silver conducts heat better than wood.) This property of a substance is called its thermal conductivity.

Last edited: Dec 7, 2003
5. Dec 7, 2003

franz32

Graph

Hello again!

So it is meant that the 'rate of cooling of a body' is direcctly proportional to 'temp. gradient'... did I get it right? =D

And so, the graph 'temp. gradient' vs 'rate of cooling of a body' must be a line sloping upward?

How about the nature of a substance? Is the graph of it hyperbolic to the 'rate of cooling of a body'?

6. Dec 10, 2003

franz32

???...???...???

Um, something went wrong... someone did reply but I can't see it here, even I click the link...

Well, here's my problem....

How does the nature of a substance ("In rate of heat loss") affect the rate of cooling? Do they vary inversely? How does the graph looked like? =)

7. Dec 10, 2003

HallsofIvy

Staff Emeritus
The "nature of a substance" is the coefficient in the proportion of heat flow to temperature distance. Specifically, it is the "heat conduction" constant for the substance. Since saying "heat flow is proportional to difference in temperature" is saying
"&Delta;Q= k(T1-T0[/sup]) and k is the "nature of the substance", heat flow is proportional to it, not inversely proportional.

8. Dec 11, 2003

franz32

Hello !

Hi!

Well, thank you very much, HallsOfIvy and Doc Al. =) I learned a lot! =)