2007-02-02 14:08:50 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Weather
Water has a higher "specific heat" than air does. This is basically because there is more matter in a given volume of water than a given volume of air. A pint of water weighs about a pound. A pint of air weighs a fraction of an ounce. The molecules that make up air are much farther apart than water molecules. That means that fewer air molecules are touching your skin than water molecules when your skin is immersed. So the heat of your skin is transferred much faster to water molecules than it is to air molecules, which makes water feel colder.
2007-02-02 14:16:42 · answer #1 · answered by datamonkey0031 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is because in comparison to air, water conducts heat much more effectively on account of being considerably more dense. The reason it feels colder is because the heat that radiates from your body leaves the surface of your skin much faster when you're in water, in comparison to when you're just exposed to the air.
Think about that feeling when you climb out of the pool or the ocean that is reasonably warm--even if it's the same temperature as the air, you will immediately feel cold for a few minutes, or until you get a towel. This happens because the water on your skin evaporates together with the heat you're releasing, effectively making you lose more heat than you would if there were no water on you.
2007-02-02 22:19:24 · answer #2 · answered by murzun 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is not true. If you hop in a lake or the Ocean on a cold morning it feels like stepping in a warm bath. This is because the water has more heat than the air at this time of the day. Most people swim later in the day, after the air has warmed up. In this case the water will be cooler than the air. Also if you are not completely immersed in water, evaporation from your skin will cause your body to cool.
Being wet and exposed to the air will make you colder than being immersed in water up to your neck.
2007-02-02 22:21:29 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
because water conducts heat so much better- the molecules are close together. air on the other hand is an insulator.
2007-02-02 23:06:00 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
water is a better conductor of heat than air. so it carries the heat off your skin faster than the air can.
2007-02-02 22:11:37 · answer #5 · answered by juicy_wishun 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋