Newton’s Law Of Cooling

Introduction

Newton's Law of Cooling describes the rate at which an object changes temperature through
heat exchange with its surroundings. This fundamental principle in thermodynamics, formulated
by Sir Isaac Newton in the early 18th century, plays a significant role in understanding how heat
dissipates in various systems.

The law states that the rate of change of temperature of an object is proportional to the
difference between its temperature and the ambient temperature of the surrounding
environment.

Mathematically, it is expressed as:

The Key Terms Associated with Newton’s Law of Cooling:

1. Heat Transfer

Definition:
Heat transfer is the process by which thermal energy flows from one object or region to another
due to a temperature difference.

Relevance in Newton's Law of Cooling:

● In this context, heat is transferred from an object to its cooler surroundings until thermal
equilibrium is reached.
● The rate of heat transfer determines how quickly the object's temperature decreases.

Types of Heat Transfer:

● Conduction: Heat transfer through direct contact of materials (e.g., heat spreading
through a metal rod).
● Convection: Heat transfer through the movement of fluids (e.g., air or water cooling an
object).
● Radiation: Heat transfer through electromagnetic waves (e.g., heat from the sun
warming an object).

2. Temperature Gradient

Definition:
The temperature gradient is the rate of change of temperature with respect to distance within a
material or between two points. Mathematically, it is expressed as:

Relevance in Newton's Law of Cooling:

● The temperature difference (T−Tenv) drives the cooling process.

● A larger temperature gradient (steeper difference) results in faster heat transfer, causing
the object to cool down more rapidly.
3. Cooling Constant (k)

Definition:
The cooling constant, denoted as k, is a proportionality constant that quantifies how quickly an
object exchanges heat with its surroundings.

Relevance in Newton's Law of Cooling:

● k depends on the material properties of the object, such as thermal conductivity, specific
heat capacity, and surface area, as well as the medium in which cooling occurs.
● A higher k value indicates faster cooling, while a lower kk suggests slower cooling.

Factors Affecting k:

1. Nature of the object:

○ Materials with higher thermal conductivity (like metals) cool faster.
2. Surface area:
○ Objects with larger surface areas lose heat more rapidly.
3. Properties of the surroundings:
○ Heat transfers faster in denser media like water compared to air.
4. External conditions:
○ Forced convection (e.g., blowing air) increases the effective cooling constant

Assumptions of Newton's Law of Cooling:

1. Uniform Object Temperature

Assumption:
The temperature of the object is uniform throughout its volume at any given moment.

Explanation:

● This means there are no internal temperature gradients within the object.
● It implies that the heat transfer inside the object (if any) is much faster than the heat
transfer between the object and its surroundings.

Practical Relevance:

● This assumption is valid for small objects or materials with high thermal conductivity
(e.g., metals), where internal heat distribution occurs quickly.
● For large or poorly conducting objects, this assumption might not hold, as different parts
of the object could have varying temperatures.
2. Ambient Temperature Remains Constant

Assumption:
The temperature of the surrounding environment, TenvTenv, does not change with time.

Explanation:

● This simplifies the law by assuming that the surroundings are an infinite heat reservoir,
unaffected by the heat transferred from the object.
● The ambient temperature acts as a fixed reference point for the cooling process.

Practical Relevance:

● This assumption is valid when the object is small relative to the environment, or when
the environment is maintained at a constant temperature (e.g., a controlled laboratory
setup).
● In real-world scenarios, if the object significantly alters the surrounding temperature, the
law would require modification to account for the changing TenvTenv.

3. No Heat Generation Within the Object

Assumption:
The object does not generate heat internally during the cooling process.

Explanation:

● Heat sources such as chemical reactions, electrical currents, or metabolic activity within
the object are absent.
● The temperature change is solely due to the heat transfer between the object and its
surroundings.

Practical Relevance:

● This assumption is valid for most inanimate objects cooling naturally.

● For objects with internal heat generation (e.g., electronic devices or living organisms),
additional terms must be included in the heat transfer equations to account for the heat
produced.
Experiment

Aim

To study the relationship between the temperature of a hot body and time by plotting a

cooling curve.

Apparatus

Newton’s law of cooling apparatus (a thin-walled copper calorimeter suspended in a

double walled enclosure), two thermometers, clamp and stand, stop clock/watch.

Theory

Newton’s law of cooling, states that the rate of cooling (or rate of loss of heat) of a body

is directly proportional to the temperature difference between the body and its

surroundings, provided the temperature difference is small.

Procedure

1. Fill the space between double wall of the enclosure with water and put the

enclosure on a laboratory table.

2. Fill the calorimeter two-third with water heated to about 80°C.

3. Suspend the calorimeter inside the enclosure along with a stirrer in it. Cover it with

a wooden lid having a hole in its middle.

4. Suspend from clamp and stand, one thermometer in enclosure water and the

other in calorimeter water.

5. Note least count of the thermometers.

6. Set the stop clock/watch at zero and note its least count.

7. Note temperature (T0) of water in enclosure.

8. Start stirring the water in calorimeter to make it cool uniformly.

9. Just when calorimeter water has some convenient temperature reading (say

70°C), note it and start the stop clock/watch.

10. Continue stirring and note temperature after every one minute. The temperature

falls quickly in the beginning.

11. Note enclosure water temperature after every five minutes.

12. When fall of temperature becomes slow note temperature at interval of two

minutes for 10 minutes and then at interval of 5 minutes.

13. Stop when fall of temperature becomes very slow.

14. Record your observations as given ahead.

Observations
Result

The temperature falls quickly in the beginning and then slowly as difference of

temperature goes on decreasing.

This is an agreement with Newton’s law of cooling.

Precautions

1. Double-walled enclosure should be used to maintain surrounding at a constant

temperature.

2. Stirring should remain continuous for uniform cooling.