Heat Path Designer
Build conducting paths and insulating barriers on an equal-capacity tile model. Compare designs at the same elapsed time.
Notice · 1 of 3
Try the experiment, then check the ideas behind it. Stars track these answers; they do not measure your experiment.
Progress stays in this browser only. First-try answers earn 100 points, second tries 75, and later tries 50. One star per completed checkpoint. The timer is optional and never affects points.
Theory and model assumptions
cᵢ dTᵢ/dt = Σⱼ gᵢⱼ(Tⱼ − Tᵢ), with cᵢ = 1 J/K and harmonic-mean face conductance gᵢⱼ in W/K. The 16 × 12 equal-tile network uses explicit Euler at 0.2 s (≤0.25 s stability bound). Top/bottom are insulated. Left/right are fixed reservoirs or insulated. It excludes convection and radiation and does not predict a named real material.
Teacher guidance
Tiles share equal heat capacity (1 J/K); brush values change conductance, not capacity. Black insulator tiles have zero conductance, so an enclosing barrier isolates a region. Fixed edge reservoirs supply/remove heat; insulated boundaries conserve total stored energy. Compare designs at equal times after reset.
Expected time: 20–30 minutes.