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Items that are poor conductors of heat are also referred to as insulators. A natural insulator would be a block of wood. Insulating materials will feel "warmer" than good conductors of heat, in the following example.

The opposite of insulators are good conductors of heat. An easily found good conductor of heat would be a copper pipe or iron bar.

Assuming your hand is at about 90 - 98 degrees F, and the material you are going to touch is cooler, at "room temperature" of about 70 degrees F.

If you touch a good conductor of heat (the copper pipe, a ceramic tile, a piece of steel) it will feel "cool" to the touch, as heat from your hand is transferred to the material you are touching since it is a good conductor of heat, so your hand actually is cooled down (due to the heat transfer.)

If you touch a poor conductor of heat (a block of wood, some fiberglass batting, a wool sweater) it ll feel "warm" to the touch (as compared to that copper pipe.) The reason? Since the block of wood is a poor conductor of heat, less heat is transferred from your hand to the wood...so your hand is not cooled down as much from the heat transfer as when you touched the copper pipe.

Although the wood block and the copper pipe may both have actually been 70 degrees F (room temperature), the copper will feel cooler than the wood.

The opposite is also true if the item being touched is hotter than your hand. If you touch a good conductor that is heated to 120 degrees F it will feel hotter than a poor conductor of heat (a wool sweater) that is also at 120 degrees F. The good conductor will shed heat, transfering the heat energy to your hand and creating a burning sensation. The poor conductor of heat will not transfer as much heat energy to your touch, so in comparison it will feel cooler even though it is the same temperature.

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Why do you feel cool after bath explain?

This is because your shower is usually hot. The water temperature of the shower is most likely higher or warmer than the outside temperature. Therefore your skin picks up the temperature difference between the shower and the outside temp. and then the skin picks up signals which links to your brain to tell you that it is colder on the outside. hope this helps!!!


Why is it when it's raining the water in the swimming pool is warm but when it is sunny the water in the swimming pool is cold?

It's all about how your body reacts to relative temperatures. The truth is that the pool temperature is not likely to be the culprit. It's more about how your body perceives the difference between the outside temperature vs the pool temperature. The transition from standing in the hot sun to getting into your pool makes the water feel colder than it might feel than if you are standing in cold rain before entering the pool.


How can two objects that are the same temperature feel as if they are at different temperatures?

Every substance has its nature for example water's boiling point is 100'C it wouldn't start boiling at -100'C instead it would freeze. It also depends on is that substance is a conductor or an insulator.


How would water feel if its temperature is forty degrees Celsius?

It would feel pretty hot, because 40°C=104°F, which is hot.


Can you explain why you feel warm when you are standing away from a campfire?

A fire burns fuel to produce heat and gasses. Some of the heat comes off as visible light and some warms the air in and around the fire and this rises with the smoke.However, allot of the heat comes off as infra red radiation - a form of light that you can not see with your eyes, but that you can feel with your skin (as the warmth from the fire).Your skin is always trading heat with its surroundings, your body is always losing heat at a moderate rate to the air touching it. When more heat comes in than goes out, the skin feels warm. So the side of you that faces a fire will feel hot because it is getting more heat than it is losing (because it is absorbing the infra red radiation), while your back surface is shaded from the fire's energy (by your front) and this will be losing more heat than it is receiving and will therefore feel cold.

Related Questions

Why do metallic objects appear colder than wooden objects on winter night?

Metal is a better conductor of heat than wood, so it can conduct heat away from your hand faster, making it feel colder. This is why metallic objects feel colder than wooden objects, even though they are at the same temperature in the winter night.


At what temperature does humidity make it feel colder?

Humidity can make it feel colder when the temperature is below 70 degrees Fahrenheit.


Why do some objects feel colder than other objects of the same temperature?

Objects feel colder or warmer depending on their thermal conductivity, which is the ability to transfer heat. Materials like metal or stone have higher thermal conductivity, so they can quickly remove heat from your skin, making them feel colder. Other materials like wood or insulation have lower thermal conductivity and do not draw heat away as quickly, so they feel warmer to the touch.


Does it feel colder with higher humidity?

Yes, it can feel colder with higher humidity because the moisture in the air can make it harder for your body to regulate its temperature, making you feel colder than the actual temperature.


Why do your feet feel colder when you get into a pool using second law of thermodynamics?

Your feet feel colder when you get into a pool because heat naturally flows from areas of higher temperature to lower temperature to reach thermal equilibrium. When your feet are exposed to the cooler water, heat is transferred away from your feet into the water, making them feel colder. This is a result of the second law of thermodynamics, which states that heat will always transfer from a warmer object to a cooler object until thermal equilibrium is reached.


If the air temperature dropped by 5 degrees would you feel warmer or colder?

You would feel colder if the air temperature dropped by 5 degrees. Lower temperatures generally result in a decrease in perceived warmth.


Does more humidity make the temperature feel colder?

Yes, more humidity can make the temperature feel colder because high humidity levels can prevent sweat from evaporating efficiently, which can make it harder for the body to cool down.


Why do some material feel colder than others?

Some materials feel colder than others because they are better at conducting heat away from our skin. This rapid transfer of heat creates the sensation of coldness. Materials like metals are good conductors and can feel colder than materials like wood or plastic.


What's the feel-like temperature outside right now?

The feel-like temperature outside right now is the combination of the actual temperature and the wind chill factor, which makes it feel colder than it actually is.


At what point does humidity make it feel colder?

Humidity can make it feel colder when it is high because it prevents sweat from evaporating, which is how our bodies cool down. This can make it feel like the temperature is lower than it actually is.


Which would feel colder on your bare feet a tile floor or a wooden floor (at the same temperature)?

A tile floor would likely feel colder on your bare feet compared to a wooden floor at the same temperature. This is because tile is a better conductor of heat than wood, meaning it can draw more heat away from your feet, making it feel colder.


Why are doorknobs colder to touch than the wooden door where both of them are in the same temperature?

Metal has higher thermal conductivity than wood, so it draws heat away from your hand faster, making it feel colder. This means the metal doorknob will feel colder to touch compared to the wooden door at the same temperature.