A fundamental second-order linear parabolic différentielle partielle equation describing heat distribution or other diffusion processes. Its canonical form is [latex]\frac{partial u}{partial t} = \alpha \nabla^2 u[/latex], where [latex]u(\vec{x},t)[/latex] is temperature, [latex]t[/latex] is time, and [latex]\alpha[/latex] is thermal diffusivity. Solutions model how an initial temperature distribution evolves, smoothing out irregularities over time and approaching a steady state.
