Why is it that when you touch really cold metal, your skin gets stuck?
(Lansing State Journal, November 18, 1992)


Question Submitted by: Tom Calhan

When you touch cold metal, you skin is at a higher temperature than the metal.  The heat from your hand flows from your finger to the metal.  Metal conducts the heat so well that if you were to touch a very cold piece of metal, the heat from your skin would be carried away very quickly, which lowers the temperature of you skin.  If the metal were cold enough, the temperature near your skin could be lowered below the freezing point of water.  The moisture from your skin would then freeze, "sticking" your skin to the metal.  By pouring warm water over the skin, the frozen water is melted, freeing your finger.

[ Back to Ask Science Theatre | Back to Ask Science Theatre Date Index ]
Back to MSU Science Theatre Home Page