Why does metal and water feel colder (or hotter) that its actual temperature.

[byurocks23]

I know why metal feels colder that another object of similar temperature. It is because are bodies don't feel temperature, we feel the amount of heat either leaving or entering our bodies. Metal feels colder (or hotter) than normal because it conducts heat very easily. On the flip side water has a very high specific heat and resists temperature change. According to what I am thinking, water should feel more average because less energy is being transferred. How does this make any sense?

Edited May 17, 2014 by byurocks23

[Acme]

Physics aside, physiologically you don't feel/touch metal the way you feel/touch water. That is, at normal everyday range of temperature you don't immerse a body part in metal nor does metal flow over a body part as does water. I expect touching ice and touching metal at ice temperature or putting a finger tip in boiling water or on metal @ 212ºF would feel similar. Yes molten metal flows but I don't think a person in contact with molten metal would be thinking about comparisons.

[John Cuthber]

As you say, water has a high specific heat. So, when you put your warm hand into it, lots of heat flows out of your hand .

That's why it feels cold.

If you put your hand in a liquid with a very low heat capacity, it would warm up the liquid (at least the bits near your hand) quickly and once the liquid was warm, no more heat would flow.

 

Acme, I have, from time to time had my hands in contact with liquid metals- specifically, gallium and mercury.

If you hold a lump of gallium it feels distinctly cold because you hand supplies heat to it and that heat causes it to melt- so all the heat goes into melting the solid, rather than heating it.

 

There's another experiment that shows ho bad we are at actually judging temperature.

This sort of thing

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/kitchenscience/exp/how-to-fool-your-senses/

[Acme]

...

Acme, I have, from time to time had my hands in contact with liquid metals- specifically, gallium and mercury.

If you hold a lump of gallium it feels distinctly cold because you hand supplies heat to it and that heat causes it to melt- so all the heat goes into melting the solid, rather than heating it.

...

Thank you for sharing your insight with me John. Perhaps the original poster will return and clarify which metal or metals prompted the question.