Geologists measure conductive heat flow out of the earth by drilling holes (a few hundred meters deep) and measuring the temperature as a function of depth. Suppose that in a certain location the temperature increases by 20°C per kilometer of depth and the thermal conductivity of the rock is 2.5 W/m·K. What is the rate of heat conduction per square meter in this location? Assuming that this value is typical of other locations over all of earth's surface, at approximately what rate is the earth losing heat via conduction? (The radius of the earth is 6400 km.)

Geologists measure conductive heat flow out of the earth by drilling holes (a few hundred meters deep) and measuring the temperature as a function of depth. Suppose that in a certain location the temperature increases by 20°C per kilometer of depth and the thermal conductivity of the rock is 2.5 W/m·K. What is the rate of heat conduction per square meter in this location? Assuming that this value is typical of other locations over all of earth's surface, at approximately what rate is the earth losing heat via conduction? (The radius of the earth is 6400 km.)