Heat Transfer Simulation
Heat moves in three distinct ways, and this simulation runs them side by side. Watch energy conduct along a metal bar, circulate through a heated fluid, and radiate across an empty gap where nothing else could carry it.
How to use this simulation
- Switch between conduction, convection and radiation
- Change the material and the temperature difference
- Remove the intervening medium to isolate radiation
What to look for
- Metals conduct far faster than insulators for the same temperature difference
- Convection currents form loops, rising where hot and sinking where cool
- Radiation continues across a vacuum where conduction and convection stop entirely
The physics behind it
Conduction passes energy through direct molecular contact, at a rate set by the material's thermal conductivity and the temperature gradient. Convection moves energy in bulk as heated fluid expands, becomes less dense and rises. Radiation carries energy as electromagnetic waves at a rate proportional to T⁴, and it is the only mechanism that works through a vacuum.