where T is the temperature change across the wall and the direction of heat
transfer is from the high temperature side to the low temperature. In the case
of a plane wall with heat generation, the variation of temperature is not linear
and thus the relation above is not applicable. However, the variation of temperature
between the nodes can be approximated as being linear in the determination
of heat conduction across a thin layer of thickness x between two
nodes (Fig. 5–11). Obviously the smaller the distance x between two nodes,
the more accurate is this approximation. (In fact, such approximations are the
reason for classifying the numerical methods as approximate solution methods.
In the limiting case of x approaching zero, the formulation becomes exact
and we obtain a differential equation.) Noting that the direction of heat
transfer on both surfaces of the element is assumed to be toward the node m,
the rate of heat conduction at the left and right surfaces can be expressed as