A colleague of mine was asked an interesting question yesterday. His
chemistry students were asking about what would happen if someone were
released into the vacuum of deep space. He put a water balloon inside a bell
jar and evacuated it to suggest that explosion wouldn't be the immediate
result. Then someone asked about freezing. He wondered how fast a person
would freeze, given that radiation would seem to be the only available
mechanism for cooling.
What is the best way to understand this? How would I estimate the rate of
cooling for a person in a vacuum?
- Tim
--
Timothy D. Wilson "A little song, a little dance,
Henry Sibley High School a little seltzer down your pants."
1897 Delaware Ave, W St. Paul, MN -Chuckles the Clown as
wilson@chemsun.chem.umn.edu eulogized by Ted Baxter