Central difference approximations to the heat transport equation

This paper analyses the oscillatory nature of central difference approximations to the heat transport equation when convection is the important mechanism of heat transport. The effects of three different boundary conditions, various heat source profiles, the Peclet Number and the parity of the number of meshes on the amplitudes of these oscillations are described. A boundary condition is presented which suppresses the oscillations to insignificant amplitudes in the one−dimensional situation.