Chemistry (including Biochemistry)/Gas and heat question

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Expert: - 3/3/2008


Question
Dear Dr. Boyter,
I was tutoring a high schooler in chemistry today; he's covering gas laws and I was explaining how molecules at a higher temperature move more than ones at a lower temperature.  He asked me a question that I couldn't quite explain:  Why, then, does wind not feel hotter than the air around it, if its molecules are moving faster?

I'm sure there's a simple answer, but it's so conceptual, I couldn't find a good one.  If you could help, I'd be much obliged.

Thank you,
Carolyn

Answer
In the hottest part of summer in the tropics, it can feel hotter.  The wind temperature has to be hotter than you body temp.  Normal wind however is doing two things.  The friction the molecules will make with your skin or the heat transfer will increase the temperature although it is so slight, you never feel it.  However, that same wind is causing the water/moisture on your skin to evaporate at a faster rate and evaporation of water is a cooling process.  That is why a wind makes you feel cooler in the summer.

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Dr. Henry Boyter, Jr.

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Chemistry (non-biochemistry), environmental science, occupational health and safety, environmental regulation and management, environmental engineering, and wastewater engineering. I'm the Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety and the Director of Research at the Institute of Textile Technology.

Experience

Chemistry (non-biochemistry), environmental science, occupational health and safety, environmental regulation and management, environmental engineering, and wastewater engineering. I'm the Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety and the Director of Research at the Institute of Textile Technology.

Education/Credentials
PhD, MS, BS in Chemistry

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