The human body, in an attempt to achieve thermal balance, always gives heat to a “colder” body that is in contact with it, that is, heat passes from one body to another due to the temperature difference between they.
Ex: When we hold a piece of ice, we have the impression that the hand that holds it cools down as much as the ice.
This process is called in physics as heat transmission by thermal conduction.
thermal conduction it is, in fact, the least harmful process to the body and human health, compared to other means of heat loss. See the other media in the table below:
We can see in the table that the main heat loss process is related to radiation, because all living beings emit radiation in small proportions, therefore, its verification is only possible in the so-called infrared line, invisible to the naked eye, but analyzed precisely by sensors specials.
Some animals, such as the snake, have developed habits in which, through the heat of the approaching body, it is possible to perceive the emissions of that heat, thus obtaining their victims. These animals have natural sensors.
There is also another form of heat loss by the human body, it is evaporation. It is responsible for losing heat through our skin, which loses some of its moisture in the form of vapor into the medium. Evaporation is actually a phase change and happens specifically when we supply our body with energy in the form of latent heat of vaporization.
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
By Talita A. angels
Graduated in Physics
Brazil School Team
Thermology - Physics - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
ANGELS, Talita Alves dos. "The loss of heat in the human body"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/fisica/a-perda-calor-no-organismo-humano.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
