heat equation: Meaning and Definition of

heat' equa"tion

Pronunciation: [key]
— Math., Thermodynam. Math.,Thermodynam.
  1. a partial differential equation the solution of which gives the distribution of temperature in a region as a function of space and time when the temperature at the boundaries, the initial distribution of temperature, and the physical properties of the medium are specified.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.