Abstract. The perturbation of a temperature field by an inhomogeneity is investigated using the method of potentials. The remarkable features of this method include its independence of the coordinate system in which a problem is posed and a reduction of mathematical labour. It is shown that the method of potentials reduces the problem of steady heat flow past an arbitrarily- shaped body to the solution of an integral equation. In the special case of an ellipsoid in a linear temperature field, the problem is reduced to the solution of a mere algebraic equation.

Received: August 13, 2012

AMS Subject Classification: 31B30

Key Words and Phrases: potential method, temperature, ellipsoidal inhomogeneity

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