Question

Suppose you heat an oven to 400°F (about 200°C) and boil a pot of water. Which of the following explains why you would be burned by sticking your hand briefly in the pot but not by sticking your hand briefly in the oven? Suppose you heat an oven to 400°F (about 200°C) and boil a pot of water. Which of the following explains why you would be burned by sticking your hand briefly in the pot but not by sticking your hand briefly in the oven? The oven has a higher temperature than the water. The water can transfer heat to your arm more quickly than the air. The water has a higher temperature than the oven. The molecules in the water are moving faster than the molecules in the oven.

Answer 1

Answer: The correct answer is: the water can transfer heat to your arm more quickly than the air.

Explanation: The heat is transferred from the air or water to your arm through convection. The convective heat transfer coefficient of water is higher than the air's, so, even though the temperature of boiling water is lower, the heat will be transferred more efficiently to the other surface, in this case, the hand.