The problem of the stability of a fluid with time-dependent heating has been investigated by Morton (1957), Lick (1965) and Foster (1965). Morton and Lick assumed that the rate of change of the temperature profile is small compared with the growth rate of the disturbances (quasi-static assumption). This assumption is invalid near the onset of instability (as defined by ∂/∂t = 0), and Foster has therefore used an initial-value approach.

In this paper the range of validity of the quasi-static assumption is discussed, and results of a time-scaled analysis and calculations based on this are compared with the work of Foster; the agreement is found to be good. We restrict our attention to a semi-infinite fluid initially at a constant temperature; at time t = 0 a temperature difference ΔT is applied at the (lower) horizontal boundary (case (A) of Foster).