NEWTON,ISAAC AND HEAT-TRANSFER

An attempt is made to provide historical perspectives on the influence s of Newton's law of cooling (1701) on the development of heat transfe r theory Newton's cooling law provides the first heat transfer formula tion and is the formal basis of convective heat transfer. The cooling law was incorporated by Fourier (1822) as the convective boundary cond ition (Biot number) in his mathematical theory of heat conduction. The decisive step in the application of the concept of heat transfer coef ficient occurred with the publication of the ''basic law of heat trans fer'' by Nusselt in 1915. Newton's law is valid only for forced convec tion with constant physical properties. The close relationships for va rious heat transfer theories are pointed out. Heat transfer phenomena can also be classified based on the relationship between surface heat flux and temperature difference as a driving force.