Heat, like most things, prefers the path of least resistance. But it is not welcomed everywhere. Sometimes, heat is the enemy, such as in the design of consumer electronics, where powerful chips are squeezed into tighter and tighter quarters. Heat generated by an electronic product needs to be removed from its enclosure so that the heat does not accumulate and damage the internal components. For smart phones, the ingenious designers have even taken into account that our body can act as heatsinks; while you use the phone, the heat is transferred out by conduction through the contact to your body. 

A huge challenge today for design engineers is the ever increasing product complexity. Manufactured products are evolving into complex systems of mechanical components, electronics, and software, involving multiple engineering disciplines. The increasing number of components, combined with miniaturization, requires an even greater understanding of how these components will interact, while making sure they do not overheat. To add yet another level of complexity, products are often marketed and sold in multiple configurations, and design engineers must understand the performance of each configuration.