A mode of heat transfer in which thermal energy is transmitted through a substance from a region of high temperature to a region of lower temperature. Within gases (p. 77) and liquids, the thermal energy is by collisions between atoms and molecules to those with lower kinetic energy. The rate of heat transfer for steady-state thermal conduction through a slab is given by Fourier’s law:
where q is the rate of heat transfer, k is the thermal conductivity, x is the thickness of material, A is the area perpendicular to the direction of heat flow, and ΔT is the temperature difference along the path of heat transfer.