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If the surrounding air is zero degrees Celsius, steel and wood must have also the temperature of zero degrees Celsius. Wood is not warmer as many people believe. Although the temperatures are equal, you will perceive the steel as colder to touch. This is because it will absorb heat from your fingers more quickly than the wood (as it attempts to reduce your finger temperature to zero).

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16y ago

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Why is the leg of a school desk colder than the top of the desk?

It is not colder. Metal conducts heat better (faster) than wood/wood composites so the metal feels colder because it is removing heat from your hand faster than the desktop.


A metal plant stand on a wooden deck feels colder than the wood around it. Is it necessarily colder and how do you explain this?

If you walk out onto the deck early in the morning when all the things there have been sitting there all night, they are all at right about the same temperature. That's if you measure it. But they'll feel different, and here's why. When you put your hand on a cold piece of wood, heat from you hand enters the wood and begins to warm it. But this heat, this thermal energy, doesn't move very quickly into the wood. With metal, we'll find it feels a lot colder. That's because heat moves much more quickly into the metal than the wood, and because the metal sinks heat from our hand very well, it feels colder. There is also the fact that the heat capacity of metals is generally higher than that of wood, but that really doesn't come into play very much here. Metal, when it's cold, "sucks" the heat out of any body part we put on it, and it does it fairly quickly and efficiently. That's why metals feel colder than wood that is at the same temperature.


Why a metal feels colder to touch than wood kept in a cold place?

Metal is a thermal conductor and wood is a thermal insulator.when you touch the metal the energy transfer rapidlyto the metal,making it colder.when you touch the wood the energy transfer very slowly from your hand to the wood kept in a cold place.


Is the metal object really colder than the piece of wood at the same room temperature?

Yes, absolutely.


Why does a metal doorknob feel colder than the wooden door?

Metal is a better conductor of heat than wood, so it can quickly conduct heat away from your hand, making it feel colder. Additionally, metal tends to have a lower heat capacity than wood, so it reaches the surrounding temperature faster, further contributing to the sensation of coldness.


Why metal feels colder than a wooden fence?

Metal will conduct heat better than wood. While both the metal and the wood are the same temperature, heat will flow from your hands to the metal very quickly (and you feel cold). When you touch wood, a poor conductor, heat does not flow from you as quickly.


Why does metal feels colder than a wooden fence?

Metal will conduct heat better than wood. While both the metal and the wood are the same temperature, heat will flow from your hands to the metal very quickly (and you feel cold). When you touch wood, a poor conductor, heat does not flow from you as quickly.


Why a piece of metal feels colder than wood kept in cold place?

Lets say room temp is 75 degrees. Your body temp is around 98 degrees. metal conducts heat very well so when you touch it all the heat is transferred to the metal whereas wood is more insulating and the heat from your finger leaves at a much slower rate. Also, there is also a difference in emissivity between the two materials. They radiate energy differently. The metal object not only feels colder in the room (or hotter in the sun), it really is a different temperature. Wiki/Google "emissivity." Metal is a thermal conductor and Wood is a thermal insulator. When you touch the metal, the energy transfers rapidly to the metal, making it colder. When you touch the wood, the energy transfers very slowly from your hand to the wood.


Why does the metal spoon feel colder than a wooden spoon?

Metal is a better conductor of heat than wood, so when you touch a metal spoon it can transfer heat away from your hand more efficiently, making it feel colder. Meanwhile, wood is a poorer conductor, so it doesn't draw heat away from your hand as effectively, resulting in a warmer sensation when you touch it.


Why does a metal spoon feel colder to the touch than a wooden spoon at the same temperature?

Metal is a better conductor of heat than wood, so it can quickly transfer heat away from your hand, making it feel colder. The metal spoon absorbs heat from your hand more effectively than the wooden spoon, giving the sensation of being colder.


Why does a metal spoon feel colder than a wooden spoon when its taken out of the refrigerator?

Metal is a better conductor of heat than wood, so it quickly transfers heat energy from your hand to the spoon, making it feel colder. The metal spoon also has a higher thermal conductivity, which means it can absorb and release heat more rapidly than a wooden spoon.


Why a metal handrail feels colder than a wooden handrail even though they are at the same temperature?

Metal is a better conductor of heat than wood, so it draws heat away from our skin more efficiently, making it feel colder to the touch even when both materials are at the same temperature. This is why the metal handrail feels colder than the wooden handrail.