Eli5 when temperature is just how much molecules move, why can our skin be permanently damaged if they move to much, aka, you get a burn.

Question

Eli5 when temperature is just how much molecules move, why can our skin be permanently damaged if they move to much, aka, you get a burn.

In: 131

Answer 1

You are held together with van der walls (very weak compared to how metals are bound) forces, the intensity of the heat that is given off by a source can affect these bonds. When the source goes over a certain temperature threshold within a given distance these weak bonds are broken.