If you are near something hot, say an open flame, you can feel the heat radiating from the fire. I have a juvenile understanding of thermodynamics, but I understand that there is energy radiating from the heat source which is what I’m feeling.
By contrast, if you hover your hand near an ice cold drink, you can FEEL the cold before even touching the glass.
How is this possible since my hand is seemingly radiating more energy than the drink is? Is what I’m feeling just the energy leaving my hand and entering the drink?
In: 9
Equilibrium is what nature aims for. The simplest explanation is that there is a temperature difference between your warm hand and the cold (or hot) drink and so to reach equilibrium the temperature in your hand that touches the drink will either raise or drop to compensate for the difference.
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