Why does something like carpet feel warmer than tile even when they’re the same temperature?
In: Physics
Other answers are accurate, but they don’t mention an important term in thermodynamics:
Specific Heat Capacity: the amount of **heat** energy required to change the temperature of one unit of a substance.
A carpet has a low specific heat capacity. This means it does not take a lot of energy to change its temperature. So, when your feet touch carpet, the part of the carpet around your feet changes its temperature easily to match your feet, and your feet don’t change their temperature very much at all. It may even feel warm after a few seconds or minutes because the carpet can supply some insulation to prevent your body heat from escaping through your feet.
A tile floor has a high specific heat capacity, which means it takes a lot of energy to change its temperature. So when in contact with your feet, your feet will change temperature to match the tile more than the tile around your feet changes its temperature to match your feet. So your feet are actually getting colder from being on tile than carpet. It feels colder because it IS colder for your feet.
Note that if the floors were somehow incredibly hot, for example if on a hot summer day the sun shined down on the floors for awhile, your feet would feel hotter on the tile than the carpet! It is for the same reason. Your feet will change their temperature more when in contact with a surface that has a higher specific heat capacity, even when both surfaces are the same temperature.
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