Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS March Meeting 2024
Monday–Friday, March 4–8, 2024; Minneapolis & Virtual
Session A62: Undergrad Research II
8:00 AM–11:00 AM,
Monday, March 4, 2024
Room: 208CD
Sponsoring
Unit:
APS/SPS
Chair: Earl Blodgett, Society of Physics Students
Abstract: A62.00009 : Thermal diffusion in the advanced lab: Evaluating numerical simulation against the analytical model*
9:36 AM–9:48 AM
Presenter:
Yash Mohod
(Ithaca College)
Authors:
Matthew C Sullivan
(Ithaca College)
Yash Mohod
(Ithaca College)
In this talk, we demonstrate the versatility of a numerical model of thermal diffusion in metal rods. In our experiment, we applied heat pulses to a copper rod and measured the temperature at various locations along the rod. We can solve for the temperature as a function of time analytically if we assume an infinitesimally short heat input, an infinitely long rod, and infinite heat sinks at the ends. Our experiment used a short (10 cm) copper rod, heat pulses extending up to 20 seconds, and aluminum heat sinks of a known, non-infinite mass. Under these conditions, the analytical model fails to predict the rod's temperature accurately. Using a numerical model, we can accurately reproduce the experimental results for all the conditions that violate the analytical model.
This experiment can be easily replicated in an advanced laboratory class to demonstrate to students how a numerical model builds on the analytical model and can more accurately predict the behavior of a complex system.
*Thanks to the Ithaca College H&S Summer Scholars for funding.
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