If heat is the measure of atomic kinetic energy and cold is technically the lack of heat then how can we feel radiated cold? Like if you put your hand near some ice you can feel the cold? How can the lack of something radiate?
In: Physics
the way radiation works is that both objects radiate heat to each other. A cold object radiates less heat back than ambient surroundings and you can sometimes sense it. Ancient Persian [ice houses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakhch%C4%81l) took advantage of this, the ice pool was shaded from the sun during the day by a high wall, insulated from conduction and cool still night air limited convection, the dry air also made for some cooling by evaporation, and clear desert skies allowed the large shallow pool to radiate heat into the night sky which, at about -100C, radiated very little energy back. In fact radiative cooling allowed them to create ice even if the air temperature didn’t drop below zero.
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