Heat transfer and materials
Calculate conduction, convection, radiation, heat flux, heating energy, thermal expansion and diffusivity. Combine them in the Thermal System Sandbox or compare materials by thermal goal.
Thermal science you can work with
Understand heat, from thermal energy to the way heat feels.
Use calculators, visualisations, material data and detailed guides to explore heat transfer, insulation, electronics, weather, cooking, spicy food, the human body, Earth and space.
What happens when insulation gets thicker?
For the same material, area and temperature difference, increasing thickness raises thermal resistance and reduces steady-state conductive heat flow.
Thickness50 mm → 100 mm
Relative conduction1.0 → 0.5
RelationshipQ̇ ∝ 1/L for this simple model
Follow heat into the systems where it matters
A temperature difference can drive heat transfer through a wall, a circuit, a saucepan or the human body. Other experiences described as heat, such as chilli burn, need a different scientific explanation.
Buildings and insulation
Build wall assemblies, compare R-values and U-values, examine thermal bridges, estimate transmission losses and connect surface temperature with condensation risk.
Electronics and cooling
Estimate junction temperature, interface resistance, heat-sink requirements and thermal-resistance networks.
Human and environmental heat
Connect humidity, dew point, wet-bulb temperature and moisture content, then move into heat index, WBGT and thermal comfort.
Food and cooking
See how conduction, convection, radiation and evaporation combine in cooking, and use transient heat response to understand why thickness matters.
Spicy heat and perception
Explore Scoville Heat Units and the sensory biology that makes capsaicin feel hot even when the food itself is not at a high temperature.
Mechanical, chemical and electrical heat
Follow energy conversion through friction, resistive heating, combustion, reactions, brakes, engines and vehicle thermal-management systems.
Earth, life and space
Trace geothermal heat inside Earth, metabolic heat in living bodies and radiative thermal control in spacecraft and astronomical environments.
Interactive calculators and explorers
48 calculators and interactive tools span thermal physics, buildings, electronics, human environments, energy systems, cooking and heat perception.
Heat Transfer Explorer
Switch between conduction, convection and thermal radiation and see how the governing variables change heat-transfer rate.
Thermal System Sandbox
Combine hot-side convection, solid conduction, contact resistance and cold-side convection in one steady heat path.
Psychrometric Air-State Explorer
Connect dry-bulb temperature and humidity with dew point, approximate wet bulb and humidity ratio.
Transient Conduction Explorer
See how diffusivity, thickness and time affect centre temperature in a simplified slab.
Thermal Material Goal Explorer
Rank the reference dataset for heat spreading, insulation, storage or rapid response.
WBGT Calculator
Calculate WBGT from measured natural wet-bulb, globe and dry-bulb temperatures without turning the result into a safety declaration.
Learn what the calculations and sensations mean
The learning library contains 56 in-depth resources connecting equations and measurements with everyday thermal behaviour.
Heat and temperature
Understand why temperature describes thermal state while heat describes energy transferred because of a temperature difference.
Thermal conductivity
Learn what W/(m·K) means, why conductivity varies between materials and conditions, and how it appears in Fourier's law.
Heat transfer in cooking
See how pans, hot air, steam, radiation and evaporation create different heating conditions around food.
Why chilli feels hot
Follow the sensory mechanism behind capsaicin and learn why pungency should not be confused with thermal temperature.
Biological heat
Understand metabolic heat generation, circulation, sweating, evaporation and thermoregulation.
Heat in space
Explore thermal radiation, spacecraft heat rejection, sunlight and shadow when ordinary atmospheric convection is absent.
Compare thermal properties with their conditions attached
The reference database contains 27 carefully labelled representative materials. Compare conductivity, specific heat, density and calculated diffusivity while keeping condition notes visible.
Conductivity
Compare how readily materials conduct heat. High conductivity can help heat spreading, while low conductivity can help insulation.
Heat storage
Compare specific heat and density to understand why equal volumes or equal masses can respond differently to the same added energy.
Diffusivity
Compare the combined effect of conductivity, density and specific heat on the rate at which temperature changes spread.