Ever felt warm in a 60-degree weather but when you go into a pool with 60-degree water, it’s freezing? Same is the true for tap water as well. But why?
The answer behind this weird phenomenon is quite simple; heat transfer. Thermal energy always travels from the hot object to the cold one. The thermal energy transfers from our body to the environment or the medium surrounding the body such as air or water. This heat transfer is the reason of these hot and cold sensations we feel. The amount of this transfer of heat energy depends on the conductivity of the medium surrounding our bodies.
When your body temperature is lower than the temperature of the surrounding medium, it will absorb heat from its surroundings. On the other hand, a body will release heat if it is at the higher temperature than its surroundings.
The difference in conductivity of water and air play role when your hands come in contact with the tap water, or when your body touches the pool water at 60-degree temperature. Water is a better conductor than air, so it allows you to dissipate heat from your body more easily than the air at 60-degree temperature. Hence, the water feels cold, and the air at the same temperature gives you a warm feeling.Science is complex but only until you figure it out!
Oh, so simple and straight-forward answer!
