Rate of heat flow

The rate of heat flow between two systems is measured in watts (joules per second). The formula for rate of heat flow is ∆Q/∆t = -K×A×∆T/x, where ∆Q/∆t is the rate of heat flow; -K is the thermal conductivity factor; A is the surface area; ∆T is the change in temperature and x is the thickness of the material (∆T/x is called the temperature gradient and is always negative because of the heat of flow always goes from more thermal energy to less).