All Questions
Tagged with everyday-life thermal-conduction
45
questions
2
votes
7
answers
372
views
Should I hold a baby formula bottle to cool it down faster?
This is an interesting and somewhat surprising physics problem - holding a hot object in your hand will cool it down faster, even if the air around is colder. I guess that 90% of people would be ...
- 1,928
1
vote
2
answers
124
views
Why clothes keep us warm?
I want to understand why clothes keep us warm. I understand that they reflect back thermal radiation and also trap air thus significantly reducing cooling due to thermal convection. My question is, do ...
- 208
1
vote
1
answer
80
views
Why do we move the spoon in a plate to cool it down?
Say we have a plate full of soup, why to cool it down we move the spoon around in the plate? Is it to facilitate the thermal interchange between the air and the soup? Also why is the edge of the plate ...
- 45
37
votes
3
answers
8k
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Why is rock or metal often cold to the touch but wood or plastic is not?
In a room at normal room temperature, certain materials, such as metal, glass, ceramic, or rock, will feel cold to the touch, but others, such as wood or plastic, do not so much.
Which physical ...
- 1,009
1
vote
1
answer
380
views
What part of my oven should be hottest, top or bottom? [closed]
My oven has the heating element in the bottom. So the bottom shelf is more directly exposed to it, and should be the hottest shelf.
But hot air rises, so the top shelf should have the hottest air, and ...
- 2,982
7
votes
2
answers
879
views
Physics of heat flow or should I wear a sweater inside or insulate my walls?
This is a theoretical question about heat flow…just phrased in terms of everyday life. On first approximation, in terms of home heat loss, which makes a bigger difference or are they equivalent:
a) ...
- 73
0
votes
3
answers
706
views
If you moved your hand continuously through fire, would it feel hot?
If you quickly pass your finger or hand through a candle or fire, it doesn't feel very hot (great party trick). Is this because your hand spends such little time in the fire that there isn't enough ...
- 829
1
vote
1
answer
198
views
Why is cup containing coffee hot?
It happened that I was having my coffee and saw this video at the same time. It's an interview given by RP.Feynamn. In that Feynman explains about why is a cup containing coffee hot, he says that as ...
- 658
1
vote
3
answers
126
views
Why do we cool water with ice? [closed]
I've came up with the following question: Why do we cool water with ice rather than with steel given that the last one has a bigger thermal conductivity?
- 45
2
votes
2
answers
126
views
Why does porridge start steaming more after the hob is switched off?
I have noticed that when I cook porridge in a saucepan, and stir it with a spatula, it only steams a little bit. But the moment I turn off the (gas) hob underneath, and keep stirring it with a spatula,...
- 497
0
votes
1
answer
123
views
How long should I wait to steep my tea?
This is not a homework question, this is a real question that I have.
I like to drink green tea, and I use an electric kettle which brings the water to boiling. You can purchase kettles which bring ...
- 2,599
0
votes
1
answer
40
views
Two identical solid cylinders, which transfers energy faster?
Two scenarios:
Solid metal cylinder of $43^\circ$ C is placed in room of $23^\circ$ C
Identical solid metal cylinder of $3^\circ$ C is placed in another (identical) room of $23^\circ$ C at the ...
24
votes
8
answers
6k
views
Why does holding a hot object with a cloth make it feel less hot?
Let's say that I held a hot object with a warm cloth. It instantly feels less hot and only warm to the touch. This is because the cloth is an insulator and doesn't allow as large a heat transfer as if ...
- 351
38
votes
4
answers
7k
views
Why are steel thermal mugs much better than plastic ones?
I have several thermal mugs, two of them by the same brand, have the same look, shape and size except that one is in steel (inside and outside) and the other one, plastic. Both have an insulating ...
