5 ms·
> which basically states that good conductors of electricity will also be proportionally good conductors of heat, which is why things like motors and appliances
by dbcurtis 7y ago
> which basically states that good conductors of electricity will also be proportionally good conductors of heat, which is why things like motors and appliances get so hot when you use them regularly.
NOOOOO!!!!!...... How can science reporting be so bad???
- randyrand 7y agoIt is why they feel hot to human touch though :)
- MobileVet 7y agoBecause reporters aren’t scientists. The article links directly to a page on the law so maybe a little grace could be given? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiedemann%E2%80%93Franz_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiedemann%E2%80%93Franz_law
- Ensorceled 7y agoMaking relatable analogies is hard.
- BubRoss 7y agoThat's not an analogy, it isn't explaining something in terms of something else.
- duckqlz 7y agoAnalogy : a comparison of one thing to another for the purpose of explanation. https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/analogy https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/analogy
- coldtea 7y agoThat's exactly what your parent said. Parent: "That's not an analogie, it isn't explaining something in terms of something else." You: "Analogy : a comparison of one thing to another for the purpose of explanation." Well, the parent says this isn't an analogy, as it's not "comparing one thing to another for the purpose of explanation".
- zwsxedcrfvtgb 7y agobut, if anything, the opposite is true. If I keep dumping a constant amount of heat onto a material it will get hot enough to cool itself. So a piece of aluminum will be cooler than a piece of iron. The Al might transfer more heat to my fingers than the steel... or it might not (that depends on many more factors than just the conductivity).
- dwaltrip 7y agoEducate us please?
- saagarjha 7y agoThe relationship is generally true for metals (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiedemann–Franz_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiedemann–Franz_law) but an appliance being warm to the touch because you use it is not really related.
- blix 7y agoMotors become hot because they generate heat through friction and other forms of loss. Many other appliances generate heat this way (and some are designed to generate heat). Conductive materials are likely to be good heat conductors because the electrons themselves can conduct heat, and because the crystal structures of conventional metals (e.g. copper) tend to be good for both. These two effects are entirely unrelated.
- dwaltrip 7y agoThanks, that makes sense.
- dbcurtis 7y agoMotors and appliances get hot because inefficiencies eventually become waste heat. That is the source of the heat. It propagates from tbe heat source to a surface you can feel through conduction and other mechanisms.
- dwaltrip 7y agoThanks!