Why does a metal chair feel colder than a wooden chair when both have been in the same room?
They begin at nearly the same room temperature.
They begin at nearly the same room temperature. Metal does not have a lower temperature; it conducts energy away from your warmer skin much faster, so your skin cools rapidly and interprets that as 'colder'. Wood is a poor conductor, so the heat-transfer rate is smaller. The sensation measures heat flow, not merely the object's temperature.
Key point
Thermal sensation depends strongly on heat-transfer rate.
Common mistake
concluding that the metal must be at a lower temperature.
Memory tip
same temperature, different conductivity.
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