From the previous figure showing vertical temperature distributions, it can be seen that the temperature distribution below the plate is similar to that for the no-plate case, adjusted for differences in the thickness of the layer and the temperature at the top of the fluid layer. A boundary layer forms under the plate, and the averaged temperature there has a value intermediate between the temperatures at the lower boundary and at the bottom of the plate. Accordingly, in the following sections, we apply boundary-layer theory to the convection under the plate and estimate the temperature of the fluid layer.