FARGO — During very cold weather, bare hand touching of metal objects can result in a slightly painful freezing of the outer skin. This can give the false impression that metal objects are much colder than other objects, but this is not necessarily true. Most metals are just very good conductors of heat, so when you go outside on a 10-below day and bare hand a piece of metal, heat is rapidly conducted from your hand into the metal. This has the effect of rapidly cooling the outer skin surface.
During summer, a metal table in the sun will feel warm while a metal table in the shade will feel cool. But whether in sun or shade, an ice cube will melt faster on a metal table than on a wooden table. Again, this is because the metal is a good heat conductor and so will conduct heat away from the ice, causing it to melt.
The Trust Project
