Hot Vs. Cold: Steel And Wood

Classical Mechanics Level 1

Two objects have been placed in a room for a long time. One object is made of metal, say steel, and the other made of wood. If someone holds both of them, one in each hand, then which one will feel colder?

Wood, but it is at the same temperature as the steel. Steel, but it is at the same temperature as the wood. Steel, as it will be at a lower temperature than the wood. Wood, as it will be at a lower temperature than the steel.

6 solutions

Michael Mendrin
Mar 4, 2016

This depends on the room temperature being less than skin temperature. The steel object will feel colder because it conducts heat from the hand more readily.

Since they are place in room not in isolated system were exchange of heat and matter can take place....Change of temp. get colder the steel than wood because wood may have some water absorbed by it.so to vapourized out the all water the wood will be get colder.its depend on temp but their its not mention whether their change of temperature can take place its too complexive to determine it.

A Former Brilliant Member - 4 years, 9 months ago

A Good Explanation Required.

Harshit Mittal - 5 years, 3 months ago

Smiti Mittal
Mar 5, 2016

Both will be at the same temperature as they are left for a long time, however steel being a conducter, will conduct heat faster from your hand. As it will remove heat faster from your hand, it will feel colder

What if the room is a relatively hot room? Steel would conduct the heat and wood being a bad conductor won't. So in that case wouldn't wood feel colder?

Aashir shukla - 5 years, 3 months ago

Yes, but normally room temperature is taken as 20-25 celsius, and body temperature is around 37 degrees celsius. However you are right that this question assumes that final room temperature is less than body temperature. If the piece of wood and steel brought in at the beginning were at high temperatures, they could have changed the room temperature substantially.

smiti mittal - 5 years, 3 months ago

Thats it,i agree with you about relative temp. but it doesnt mentioned their ...

A Former Brilliant Member - 4 years, 9 months ago

Samar Singh
Mar 10, 2016

The temp of wood and steel will remain the same but since steel will is a good conductor, it will conduct the heat from our hand .Hence, the heat from our hand will be lost and we would feel cold.

The will vary according to the room temperature.

I hope this explains the answer.

If understood , please upvote.

Carson Brown
Mar 9, 2016

Steel is more dense than wood and has more energy at a given temperature. An analogy to help explain would be being outside when the temperature is 70 F vs swimming in a 70 F pool - you will feel much colder in the water.

Shouharda Ghosh
Mar 27, 2016

Hey its all about conductivity. Actually its analogous to electric current. The temperature difference bw hand and plate acts as potential difference. Just as every object has an electric resistance; the steel and wood both have heat resistance. However due to higher heat conductivity of steel it abstracts heat at higher rate and we feel more cold.

Omar Alsherbini
Mar 19, 2016

I don't think the question is accurate enough. A metal is a conductor, so one experiences higher heat transfer when touching steel than touching wood. However, if the room is actually hot, then steel feels ((warmer)) than wood! I think describing the room as colder than skin temperature is missing from the description of the problem.

Hot Vs. Cold: Steel And Wood

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