Why is it that if we wet our fingers before putting out a candle, we don’t get burned, but if we grab a hot pan out of the oven with a wet oven mitt, we get burned?

Question

Why is it that if we wet our fingers before putting out a candle, we don’t get burned, but if we grab a hot pan out of the oven with a wet oven mitt, we get burned?

In: Physics

Answer 1

As others have pointed out, the tip of a burning wick doesn’t contain very much energy. A hot metal pan is insanely energetic by comparison. In either case, you need enough water so that it’s not instantly converted to steam.