Asked by violet
A recipe for candy requires that the liquid ingredients be stirred constantly until the liquid reaches a temperature of 140°C. What type of spoon – wood or metal – will prevent burns to a person’s hand while stirring the hot liquid? Explain your choice.
All Answers 1
Answered by
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A wooden spoon.
Why: heat is conducted from the hot liquid along the spoon to your hand. Metals have very high thermal conductivity, so they quickly carry heat to the handle and become hot enough to burn. Wood has a very low thermal conductivity and acts as an insulator, so much less heat reaches your hand and the handle stays cool.
(You can see this in Fourier’s law: q = kAΔT/L — heat flow q is proportional to the material’s thermal conductivity k. k for common metals is tens to hundreds of W/m·K, while for wood it’s around 0.1–0.2 W/m·K, so a wooden handle transmits orders of magnitude less heat.)
Why: heat is conducted from the hot liquid along the spoon to your hand. Metals have very high thermal conductivity, so they quickly carry heat to the handle and become hot enough to burn. Wood has a very low thermal conductivity and acts as an insulator, so much less heat reaches your hand and the handle stays cool.
(You can see this in Fourier’s law: q = kAΔT/L — heat flow q is proportional to the material’s thermal conductivity k. k for common metals is tens to hundreds of W/m·K, while for wood it’s around 0.1–0.2 W/m·K, so a wooden handle transmits orders of magnitude less heat.)
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