The Biot number (Bi) is a dimensionless quantity used in heat transfer calculations. It is named after the French physicist Jean-Baptiste Biot (1774–1862), and gives a simple index of the ratio of the heat transfer resistances inside of and at the surface of a body. This ratio determines whether or not the temperatures inside a body will vary significantly in space, while the body heats or cools over time, from a thermal gradient applied to its surface. The Biot number has a variety of applications, including transient heat transfer and use in extended surface heat transfer calculations.