Question

what is the rate of heat transfer in J/s through the body's skin and the flat layer just beneath the surface? Treat the skin and fat as a single layer that is 1.20 cm thick. Assume the temperature of the inner surface of the layer corresponds to internal body temperature or 36.7C, and the temperature of the outer surface of the layer corresponds to skin temperature or 34.0C. Take the total surface area of the layer to be 1.50 m^2 and use a value of 0.413 W/(mC) for the average thermal conductivity of the layer.

Answer 1

The rate of heat transfer through the body's skin and the flat layer just beneath the surface is approximately -18.419 watts.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the rate of heat transfer through the body's skin and the flat layer just beneath the surface, we can use the formula for conduction:

Q = kA(t2 - t1)/d

where Q is the rate of heat transfer, k is the thermal conductivity, A is the surface area, t2 is the outer temperature, t1 is the inner temperature, and d is the thickness of the layer. Plugging in the values:

1. k = 0.413 W/(m2°C), A = 1.50 m2, t2 = 34.0°C, t1 = 36.7°C, and d = 1.20 cm = 0.012 m
2. Calculating the rate of heat transfer: Q = 0.413 * 1.50 * (34.0 - 36.7) / 0.012 = -18.419 W

Therefore, the rate of heat transfer through the body's skin and the flat layer just beneath the surface is approximately -18.419 watts.