Fun science poll: You (body temperature 37 C) touch each of the following three objects. Which one "feels" the coldest?
Assume all of these objects are the same size relative to your fingertip (you aren't touching a gigantic steel plate and then a teeny little diamond), and that you're only touching them for a second or two.
I see my followers are all men who are too cheap to buy big diamonds for their significant others 😡
The styrofoam and steel would feel roughly the same (i.e. have similar heat flux). The diamond has about an order of magnitude more because it’s incredibly thermally conductive.
The styrofoam and steel would feel roughly the same (i.e. have similar heat flux). The diamond has about an order of magnitude more because it’s incredibly thermally conductive.
The reason you don’t injure yourself touching a diamond is because they’re so small and they have such a low heat capacity (quantum solid, their Debye temp is like 2500 K) that they adjust temp ~instantly. If you got a big block of diamond and froze it it’d be dangerous to touch!
