When you are outside on a cool day and you touch something, you can expect it to feel cold. But why do some things feel colder than others, even if they are the same temperature?
For example, if you have to choose between a snow shovel with a metal handle and one with a wood handle, you would likely pick the wooden one because it wouldn’t feel so cold. This is true even if the two options were kept in the same area at the same temperature.
So, why is this?
The answer is that when you touch something, you aren’t actually feeling the temperature. Instead, you are feeling feeling how quickly heat is transferred either to your skin or away from it.
Metal is able to conduct heat much more quickly than wood. Therefore, when you touch cold metal it quickly pulls the heat away from your skin. Touching cold wood, on the other hand, pulls the heat from your skin much more slowly.
The same concept also happens in reverse. If you put a cake in the oven and then pull it out once it comes to the desired temperature, you can gently tap the cake with your fingers without burning yourself. If you grab the metal cake tin, however, you’ll be scorched almost immediately.
All of this is because every material conducts heat at different rates, and that is what our bodies react to. Understanding how well any material conducts heat can not only help you to avoid getting burned (or frostbitten), but it can also help to properly insulate pipes, keep homes warm, and much more.
To see a few examples of this in action, take a few minutes to watch this informative video:
Who would have thought?
Thought that was fascinating? Here’s another story you might like: Why You’ll Never See A Great White Shark In An Aquarium
