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physics online

Temperature

At first it seems obvious that hot objects are at a higher temperature than cold objects. But, for example, if you pick up a metal rod and a wooden stick that are both at 4°C you find that the metal feels colder. This is because the metal is a better conductor than wood, so your hand cools more rapidly.

Another idea that sometimes causes confusion is the relationship between heat and temperature. A burn caused by a spark from a sparkler at about 1000°C will be much less damaging and painful than a scald from bucket-full of water at 100°C. Remind yourself about these basic ideas and others on the Cool Cosmos website, which is a NASA site based at the California Institute of Technology:

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