Teaching Thermal Perception Through Fourier’s Heat Equation: A Guide for Undergraduate Physics

We present a teaching and learning proposal in which early university students, as well as high school teachers in training, explore a practical and insightful model to explain why materials at the same temperature can feel different to the touch due to their thermal properties. In this work, we justify Fourier's partial differential equation for heat conduction using a discrete one-dimensional approach, eliminating the need for integral transform techniques. We then introduce a simple model involving two semi-infinite bodies to describe heat conduction through human skin, incorporating thermal effusivity alongside diffusivity to accurately predict variations in temperature perception. Additionally, we propose a simple experimental activity using thermal imaging.