Why is boiling water much hotter than air of same temperature?

[LOLyourFace]

This boggles my mind when I was in dry sauna today...

 

[Ikonomi]

I'm going to make a completely uneducated guess and say that water has a higher specific heat, so it takes more energy to raise its temperature. So at the same temperature, it has the potential to transfer more heat to your body than air, so it feels hotter.

I honestly have no idea if that's correct. My answer doesn't make sense to me, and I haven't read about "specific heat" since high school.

 

[MacBaine]

You were in a 212 F sauna?

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Latent heat.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Water is denser so it retains and transfers heat quicker...i.e. to your hand.

 

[Lithium381]

does it have anything to do with specific heat? air is generaally a great insulator ..... relevant? i would take a geuss it's the same temp, just feels hotter for some reason

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Ikonomi
I'm going to make a completely uneducated guess and say that water has a higher specific heat, so it takes more energy to raise its temperature. So at the same temperature, it has the potential to transfer more heat to your body than air, so it feels hotter.

I honestly have no idea if that's correct. My answer doesn't make sense to me, and I haven't read about "specific heat" since high school.

You are correct sir. Water, being far denser than air, holds more energy for a given heat. The water transfers more heat energy to you because it has more heat energy.

ZV

 

[LOLyourFace]

Originally posted by: MacBaine
You were in a 212 F sauna?

220. And it wasn't hot at all... (I'm korean and asians LOVE bath so we may be biased)

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Ikonomi
I'm going to make a completely uneducated guess and say that water has a higher specific heat, so it takes more energy to raise its temperature. So at the same temperature, it has the potential to transfer more heat to your body than air, so it feels hotter.

I honestly have no idea if that's correct. My answer doesn't make sense to me, and I haven't read about "specific heat" since high school.

You are correct sir. Water, being far denser than air, holds more energy for a given heat. The water transfers more heat energy to you because it has more heat energy.

ZV

That heat energy is kinetic energy conducted to your skin, right?

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Once again, latent heat, also heat of tranformation.
Water can be 100c as a liquid and gas, the calories it takes to change state
makes it hotter.
Water can also be solid or liquid at 0c for the same reason.

 

[LOLyourFace]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Ikonomi
I'm going to make a completely uneducated guess and say that water has a higher specific heat, so it takes more energy to raise its temperature. So at the same temperature, it has the potential to transfer more heat to your body than air, so it feels hotter.

I honestly have no idea if that's correct. My answer doesn't make sense to me, and I haven't read about "specific heat" since high school.

You are correct sir. Water, being far denser than air, holds more energy for a given heat. The water transfers more heat energy to you because it has more heat energy.

ZV

let me be a noob and question further: But they're still same temperature.... boiling water = 212F hot sauna air = 212F

hot air = feels gooooooooood
boiling water = AHSDKFASHF AHDSF AHHHH

 

[LordMorpheus]

two reasons: Water has a higher spec heat (as mentioned above) so, while the air in contact with your skin will cool down quickly after only a little scorchage, water in contact with your skin will not.

Also, I believe the water/skin barrier transfers heat much more quickly than the skin/air barrier. There are more molecules of water at 212F in contact with your skin that there would be air oxygen, nitrogen, etc. in contact with your skin, so the heat gets transferred much more rapidly.


Another thing: Don't mess around with steam. I don't mean condensed water over a pot of boiling water, I mean real, invisible, superheated steam. I have a buddy who's dad worked in a power plant. Every once and a while they had to go check the cooling system for leaks. They took a broom handel, waved it around in front of them. If the handle suddenly combusted, exploded, or got sheared off, they had a steam leak. If not, all is usually good. Of course if your arm hits the jet and not the broom handle you are extra-double-super screwed.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

well, since you are sweating and your sweat is evaporating, your body is able to lose heat. Now, if it was a steam room at 220, you would quickly die because the high humidity of the room would completely stop all evaporation of sweat. The water molecules in the steam would bounce into your skin and transfer heat to your body. Likewise, if you were in a hot tub at 220, your body would be over heated very quickly because of the heat transfer from water to body.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
let me be a noob and question further: But they're still same temperature.... boiling water = 212F hot sauna air = 212F

hot air = feels gooooooooood
boiling water = AHSDKFASHF AHDSF AHHHH

Temperature is a measure of the average heat energy. Air per unit volume has far fewer molecules than does the same unit volume of water. Thus, even though the temperature (i.e. the average heat energy of each individual molecule) is the same, the total heat energy of the water is far, far greater.

ZV

 

[Indolent]

You people and your Farenheight temperatures confused me for a second. I've been going to an engineering school too long...

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: Indolent
You people and your Farenheight temperatures confused me for a second. I've been going to an engineering school too long...

No. Americans have been using the antiquated fahrenheit system for too long.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: Indolent
You people and your Farenheight temperatures confused me for a second. I've been going to an engineering school too long...

No. Americans have been using the antiquated fahrenheit system for too long.

 

[EMPshockwave82]

same reason why water at 70* feels freezing cold and air at 70* feels like you should be wearing shorts

 

[FoBoT]

any substance that is X degrees , is X degrees

water that is 200F is the same temperature as air that is 200F , they are both at 200F

 

[damonpip]

Two reasons: First, water has a much, mcuh higher specific heat than that of air. Therefore, warm air cannot change the temperature of an object (your body) nearly as fast as water of the same temperature. Secondly, it take a ton of heat to convert water to steam. When the steam is cooled and condenses, a huge amount of heat must be absorbed by the surroundings.

 

[sandorski]

Perhaps someone who has taken Physics lately can state this more properly, but: Heat does not equal Energy. So, to raise the Temp(heat) of X(Air) by Y(degrees) takes less Energy than to do the same to X(water).

 

[Ryan]

The same reason you can walk across burning coals and not have any damage yet plunk your foot in the tame temp water and you could eat it for supper. Basic education - if works wonders.