So my understanding is that heat is simply the speed/velocity and kinetic energy of molecules.
I can understand that the hotter something gets, the more excited and higher velocity/kinetic energy molecules have. it is natural for me to sort of grasp how letting your skin molecules come into contact with that, it strips away your skins molecules and you get burned.
but what i dont understand is: Cold is supposed to be the opposite and molecules more or less at rest mean low temperatures.
How can stable/resting molecules hurt us when its not actively stripping away skin molecules etc?
In: Chemistry
Because the molecules need to move to do their job in our body. The colder a substance gets, the harder it is to make it flow. That means skin gets less elastic, blood moves slower, all sorts of biological functions go to rest. And that’s before we consider the unique property of water to expand when it freezes. When body cells reach freezing point the water in them makes them burst.
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