Heat and Environment: Conduction, Altitude, and Free Fall
Conduction heat transfer, water's boiling point at altitude, atmospheric pressure at altitude, and free-fall time — four calculations describing heat and altitude effects.
Altitude affects boiling points and air pressure in predictable ways, and heat conduction follows its own well-defined law — these four calculations cover both.
Conduction heat transfer: Fourier's Law in practice
Heat transfer rate through a material is (thermal conductivity × area × temperature difference) / thickness. A material with 0.5 W/(m·K) conductivity, 2 m² area, and a 30°C temperature difference transfers heat at a rate directly proportional to all three factors — the same law behind insulation ratings and heat sink design.
Boiling point at altitude: why mountain cooking takes longer
Water's boiling point drops roughly 1°C for every 300m of elevation gain. At 1,500m altitude, water boils at approximately 95°C instead of 100°C — the reduced atmospheric pressure at altitude is why recipes sometimes need adjustment for high-elevation cooking.
Atmospheric pressure at altitude: the same effect, in pressure terms
Using the barometric formula, air pressure at 2,800m works out to roughly 71,910 Pa, well below sea level's standard 101,325 Pa — this pressure drop is the underlying cause of both the lower boiling point and the "thinner air" feeling at elevation.
Free-fall time: how long a drop actually takes
Time to fall a given height (ignoring air resistance) is t = √(2h/g). A 100m drop on Earth (g = 9.8 m/s²) takes about 4.52 seconds — on the Moon, with much weaker gravity (1.62 m/s²), the same 100m drop would take over 11 seconds.
Altitude and heat, quantified
Whether it's a mountain campsite or a physics problem set, these four calculations turn altitude and heat effects into exact numbers. Try the conduction heat transfer calculator, boiling point at altitude calculator, atmospheric pressure at altitude calculator, and free-fall time calculator.