On Thursday, December 4, 2014 2:02:55 PM UTC-5, Jim Lewis wrote:
I have been trying to understand just how a TE probe functions.

Hi Jim - I hope the RAS nonsense has not discouraged your quest
for knowledge! Get yourself a copy of Helmut Reichmann's "Cross-
Country Soaring". Instrumentation functions are covered in a
practical and readable fashion, including of course TE probes.
The book is also a fabulous overview of XC soaring basics.
Enjoy!
Best Regards, Dave

PS: Beware answers you get on RAS! Way too many people happy
to provide incomplete and/or incorrect answers with a solemn
tone of authority...

PPS: If you want to dig into the math, beware that early editions
of Reichmann's book have the terms for some of the equations
translated incorrectly (equations are correct but explanations
of the terms are not).