Re: [Phys-l] Gotta love these HeadLine Writers!

[Paul Nord <Paul.Nord@valpo.edu>]

Does any of us have the experience to know what 98º would feel like WITHOUT the local humidity common to your area?  

To me it "feels-like" 98º when it is actually 98º with the the same awful humidity that we had around here when I was a kid.

I don't give much credit to those "feels like" temperatures.  Were any of those studies done to discern the heat transfer properties of actual human skin under the temperature, humidity, and wind conditions described?  (When it comes to windchill, I have a suspicion that damp conditions cause the skin to be more moist.  That moisture will provide better thermal transfer from the lower layers of the skin and will increase the rate of heat loss in a way that does not happen to something like an open bucket of water.  If it's dry, you don't get much evaporation from the surface of the skin.  But you'll get even more from the surface of a bucket of water.  Science fair project anyone?)

Paul

On Jul 26, 2011, at 12:35 AM, Bernard Cleyet wrote:

> The news and weather article listed both and identified the perceived temp. as "feels like".