Determination of specific heat with a simple inverse approach

A new, simple mathematical technique permits the specific heat of a material to be determined through an inverse process without recourse to solving the time-dependent heat conduction equation. The method requires time-varying temperatures to be observed in a material sample and the total computed heat energy within the sample balanced against energy supplied from a heating source. The approach holds mathematical promise for application in the design of instruments for measuring thermal properties or possibly as a regularisation technique to be applied in conjunction with other inverse approaches to the problem. Crown Copyright (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.