In this chapter, you will learn how to formulate and solve heat transfer
problems numerically using one or more approaches. In your professional life,
you will probably solve the heat transfer problems you come across using a
professional software package, and you are highly unlikely to write your own
programs to solve such problems. (Besides, people will be highly skeptical
of the results obtained using your own program instead of using a wellestablished
commercial software package that has stood the test of time.) The
insight you will gain in this chapter by formulating and solving some heat
transfer problems will help you better understand the available software packages
and be an informed and responsible user.