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steam scalds are more serious than boiling water scalds because steam when condenses onto the more cooler skin, it loses latent heat of vaporization (to become water at 100 degrees Celsius) also it loses thermal capacity to become equal to the temperature of the skin (37 degrees Celsius).
boiling water loses only thermal capacity as it cools down to 37 degrees Celsius from 100 degree Celsius.
Wiki User
∙ 7y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoWhen steam contacts skin it immediately converts from vapor to liquid. When this conversion takes place, amount of energy released is much greater than water at its boiling point. This is due to the difference between the specific heat and the heat of vaporization of water.
For every gram of water that condenses on your skin, it is subjected to 720 joules of energy, versus 37 for water in the liquid state at the same temperature. The steam releases almost 20x more energy than the same amount of water.
Add to this the fact that steam is a gas, and it will expand to the entire volume of its container, meaning it will "attempt" to burn your entire body as opposed to what little of your body the water can touch.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoIt takes energy to turn water from liquid to vapor (steam). The steam contains more energy than the boiling water. The scald comes from the energy being transferred to your body. The higher energy creates more damage.
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Why burn caused due to steam is more severe than the boiling water at same temperature?
steam causes severe burns because of change of state i.e. liquid to gas with effects our skin. where as boiling water is only liquid which is hot but it does not effect the skin more than water.Thus higher the temperature of steam as compared to water. cause more severe burns than boiling water
Does steam have more energy per unit mass than boiling water?
Yes
Why is a burn caused by a steam more severe than a burn caused by a boiling water if they have the same temperature?
Steam carries more energy than boiling water. When water is at its boiling point, it requires additional energy to boost it into a gaseous state. When the steam comes in contact with a cooler object and condense back to a liquid, it releases that energy as heat. If that object is human skin, that heat will cause a burn. - - - - - It would be very rare to have steam with the same temperature as boiling liquid water. The only way to keep water liquid past 100 degrees C is to put it under pressure. By contrast, once you have formed steam you can raise it to just about any temperature you want - there are many industrial processes that require steam at 600 degrees F. Hence, at least part of the reason burns from steam are more severe than burns from boiling water, is the steam is hotter.
What is the difference between water vapour and steam?
the difference is that water vapour is just one particle that joins together with more and more to form steam
How dangerous is it to boil water in a conventional oven and take it out?
Boiling water in a conventional oven is extremely inefficient, but doing so does not involve any more danger than boiling water on the stove top. Boiling water in certain kinds of smooth glass or ceramic containers in a microwave oven can be extremely dangerous.
Why is steam at 100degree celsius more dangerous than water at 100degree celsius?
Because when in contact with human skin steam condenses into boiling water. This causes the serious damages seen in steam burns.
Why is the latent heat of vapourization of steam is more than that of boiling water?
Because steam is hotter than boiling water.
What cause more burns steam or boiling water?
Steam. Liquids turn to solids when they reach a temperature, so steam has to be hotter than boiling water.
Why does steam cause more severe skin burns than liquid water at its boiling point?
Hot water has a maximum temperature of 100 degrees centigrade. If it goes beyond that it is now steam. Steam burns are more dangerous because they are much hotter than water.
Why does steam give you more burns that water?
steam is the gaseous transformation that takes place on heating water to its boiling point.Steam will give you more burn than the water boiling at 100 c as it has the latent heat of vapourisation in addition to the heat of fusion.Basically it has more heat content in the steam state than boiling water state.
What causes a more severe burn - water or steam?
Steam is more dangerous because the temperature is higher.
Why burn caused due to steam is more severe than the boiling water at same temperature?
steam causes severe burns because of change of state i.e. liquid to gas with effects our skin. where as boiling water is only liquid which is hot but it does not effect the skin more than water.Thus higher the temperature of steam as compared to water. cause more severe burns than boiling water
Why are steam burns on the skin so severe?
It is not really more. Steam is the gas form of water, and thus hotter than the liquid form. 1000C (at 1au at sea level) is the boiling point of water. 400C water will not burn you, but 990C will. Steam at 1010C will burn you, but steam at 5000C would burn worse. So your answer is steam is hotter, but how much more of a burn you get also has to do with the amount of steam or water you come in contact with, and the temperature the steam or water is.
Does steam have more energy per unit mass than boiling water?
Yes
Is steam hotter than boiling water?
Technically speaking steam has a higher temperature, but boiling water often has more heat energy per volume. Steam starts at 100degrees C, which is the absolute maximum temperature of boiling water, but steam can be much much hotter, all the way up to thousands of degrees. However, steam as a gas is much less dense than water, and so steam at 100C will injure a person much less than water at 100C.
What happens to the temperature of boiling water if you turn up the heat on the stove?
The boiling point of water is 100 degrees celsius. The water will evaporate at boiling point. By the way what do you mean "what happens to the temperature of boiling water" if you think about it, it does not make sense.
Why steam at 100 degree centigrade produces more severe burns then boiling water at 100 degree centigrade?
Steam has enough kinetic energy to leave the liquid water that is boiling, so it's greater amount of energy results in more severe burns than boiling water, which has a lower amount of energy.
