Heat equation

The heat equation is a parabolic partial differential equation that describes the distribution of heat (or variation in temperature) in a given region over time.

• The wave equation was quickly followed by remarkably similar equations for gravitation, electrostatics, elasticity, and heat flow. Many bore the names of their inventors: Laplace's equation, Poisson's equation. The equation for heat does not; it bears the unimaginative and not entirely accurate name 'heat equation'. It was introduced by Joseph Fourier, and his ideas led to the creation of a new area of mathematics whose ramifications were to spread far beyond its original source.
  • Ian Stewart (2 February 2012). Seventeen Equations that Changed the World. Profile Books. p. 151. ISBN 1-84765-769-9.