Why does something like carpet feel warmer than tile even when they’re the same temperature?
In: Physics
Your sensation of temperature isn’t based strictly off absolute temperature. A significant factor is the rate of temperature transfer.
A piece of metal conducts heat much better than a piece of wood. So if you pick up one of each, the difference in temperature between you and the object is going to move towards equilibrium much faster with the metal than it does the wood.
As a result, the metal will feel hotter/colder than the wood, even if they are the same temperature. That’s also why you can lick a tree in winter and just get splinters, but get frozen to a flagpole. It’s pulling the heat much more quickly than the tree (Please note I do not advocate untoward winter licking sprees as a test). Similarly, the air from a hot oven feels warm, but much less so than grabbing the metal rack, even though they’ve both been warmed to the same temperature.
Latest Answers