Sandbox
Why does a metal spoon get hot?
Heat flows from hot to cold, and some materials let it through hundreds of times faster than others. This is the heat equation, running live on a 30 cm rod with real numbers for each material.
About this sandbox
Heat creeping along a 30 cm rod, solved live with the heat equation ∂T/∂t = α ∂²T/∂x² and real values for copper, aluminium, steel and glass.
Things to try
- Put a flame at one end and ice at the other.
- Swap copper for glass and speed time up.
- Heat a spot in the middle and watch it spread.
More in Heat: Heat plate. See every sandbox, or type your own equation in Free mode.