Which is more harmful to our body? Temperature or heat?

Question

You can not hold a needle at 100 degree C, but you can put your finger easily at say 10 kg water at 40 degree C, though the later is having more heat energy. We know that steam at 100 degree C has more burning effect than water at 100 degree C, because it is having more energy (537 calorie/gm). How can you justify this phenomenon?

Answer 1

Two objects at a different temperature do not necessarily have different energy. Temperature indicates the relative amount of heat, which is energy, per unit of mass. Actually there is a third property, called heat capacity, which determines the maximum amount of heat per unit of mass.

Now, let's talk about heat transfer, which is relative to surface area, heat conductance, time and temperature. You can absorb an amount of heat across a surface and feel nothing but a warm sensation; however, concentrate this same heat in a smaller surface area and it will burn you. The rate of heat transfer is more important in determining what is hot and cold then the total amount of heat. In fact, that's how we fell when things are hot and cold. Thus, when you hold that pin, it has the same amount of heat in it that would probably amount to a cup of water being very cold. But since it's being absorbed by you touching it across a very small surface area, the surrounding molecules (your skin) are excited greatly (and quickly), and you get burned.

NOTES REGARDING EXPLANATIONS FOLLOWING THIS ONE:
Sid & Ranjeet's answers don't even make sense. (Especially Ranjeet's).

classicrockrox is just outright wrong. Temperature is not a measurement of heat, nor is heat the sum of all energies in a body. Temperature is the average kinetic energy possessed by a body's molecules. It is related to heat by T = Q/C, where T represents the integral of dT from T0 (initial temp.) to Tf (final temp), Q is the quantity of heat and C is the specific heat capacity. Furthermore, heat is equal to the total internal energy of a body, U, and total work done by the body. Temperature is not just "an average reading of heat" as this statement not only makes no sense, (average across what?) but it means the reading would be in joules.

I fail to see why people who don't know what they're talking about answer stuff on here. You're not helping anyone.

Answer 2

GameGiver on his science sh--! Anyway, I think what you are confusing is the volume. 100 degrees is a 100 degrees. There are objects that are poor conductors of heat (kind of like when your boy walks over hot coals without getting burned) but if he were to stand there instead of walking, he would get burned. If the water is 40 degrees, and we all know 40 degrees won't burn you, why would you expect it to just because you have more of it? And I really don't think that water and steam can exist at the same temperature being that it's 2 different states of matter.

Answer 3

Heat energy is the 'Transfer' of Temperature... it is different for various metals, or items.
Heat transfer equation describes that phenomena
Finally, the temperature level is to be watched out for..., but it can only be delivered by heat (Heat Transfer)....

Answer 4

least confusing thank you to describe it extremely is that as quickly as you're having a fever, your physique is working its immune equipment, attempting to kill off some nasties that are making you ill via elevating your physique temperature in an attempt to kill them off via warmth as all organisms have an optimum temperature variety they proceed to exist in. If the temperature variety they stay in is exterior the raised physique temperature, probability is they could die off. eg. a deadly disease could stay at 36 tiers max. A fever of 38 could kill it.

Answer 5

temperature is simply just a measurement of heat. heat is the sum of all energies in an object. temperature is an average reading of that.

Answer 6

How can you be stupid enough not understand that the more energy put into any given situation is going to cause a larger affect?

Answer 7

Of couse HEAT because it gives temperature!