2014/05/21 by Mark Ciotola, Ciotola, Mark, Olivia Mah +1
Engineering · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Physics Education (physics.ed-ph) #Thermal properties of materials #Thermoelastic and Magnetoelastic Phenomena #Thermography and Photoacoustic Techniques #physics.ed-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1405.5295
16 pages, 3 figures
arxiv created 2014/05/21 · openalex publication_date 2014/05/21 · arxiv updated 2014/05/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The wave nature of heat flow mechanisms, such as lattice waves is discussed. Tan and Holland's Tangent Law of heat flow refraction is reviewed. A classroom demonstration of heat flow refraction through conductors in series is presented, and sample results are examined for consistency with the Tangent Law. To predict results, the Tangent Law is derived from the Principle of Least Resistance for this demonstration. User-modifiable simulations in Ruby and Ruby on Rails are presented, along with simulation results for various combinations of conductors. Results are interpreted in terms of the Principle of Least Time, illustrating a powerful unification in physics between disparate areas such as optics and thermodynamics.