if you put your hand out into -32f weather, and someone drops an ice cube in your hand, does it feel warmer?

Answer 1

Need to make some assumptions a) The weather is just cold, not blowing a gale, no blizzards or anything like that, b) you're not wearing gloves and c) your hand hasn't gone numb.

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The ice cube would feel colder because the heat from your hand would begin to melt it and this requires heat energy. Heat would be drawn from your hand much more rapidly than if you weren't holding an ice cube.

You feel the cold because heat is being lost from your body and water (from the ice) conducts heat away from your skin far more readily then air does.

Think of it like this, you put your hand in a bucket of water and even though the water is the same temperature as the air it feels cold. Or when you pick up snow, unless there's been a recent change in air temperature the snow will be the same temperature as the surrounding air but feels a lot colder.

So even though the ice cube is considerably warmer, it would feel colder.

Answer 2

Depends on the temperature of the ice cube, which could be as high as 32f. Unless it is colder than -32f, it would feel warmer than the surrounding air.

Of course, there is something to be said for the improved heat transfer characteristics of water over air... so in practice, the ice cube might infact "feel" quite cold.

Answer 3

The ice could be at any temperature but if the air temperature was -32°, the ice would probably be at the same temperature. The ice would take heat from your hand much quicker than the air would and if it warmed enough to start melting in your hand it would need to take latent heat from the hand as well. The ice would feel colder.

Mind you, if you had your hand outside for the length of time that would take, you would have a nasty case of frostbite.

Answer 4

Yes, because the average ice cube is frozen in a freezer at about 28 degrees F. So the ice cube would feel "warm"er than the temp. outside.

Answer 5

You probably will not feel any diff. cause I believe your skin starts to freeze and numb almost instantly at that temp, so feeling the ice cube you will not! Its like sticking 1 hand into 500 degree water then the other in 600 degree water, try it and till me if you feel a difference :)

Legal disclaimer: I really do not endorse putting your hands into hot water!

Answer 6

No. Liquids will pull heat away at a much faster rate than air. You'll have to have a much larger gap in the temperature, but I get your question and yes. Heat/cold doesn't care what medium you use. It would be the same as asking "If you stood infront of a heater in the desert, would you get even hotter?"

Answer 7

No. It would actually feel colder than -32 F because of the double impact