Why does putting a wet paper towel around a can in the freezer cool it so fast?
In: Physics
The water transfers cold into the can faster than air. Or, said more correctly, the water draws heat out of the can and into the surrounding (freezer) air faster than the aluminum is able to do it on it’s own.
Think about it like this. If you have a wet paper towel that’s been sitting out on the counter all day (so it’s room temperature), and you put your hand on it, does it feel colder, warmer or the same as putting your hand on the (dry) counter or a room temperature soda can? It feels colder because it can extract the heat from your body faster. Same reason a marble kitchen table or leather couch feels cold even though they’re the same temperature as everything else.
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