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My guess, and it is just a guess, is that it has to do with
conductivity.
Sort of like the inside of an oven when you bake a cake. Everything in
the oven is 350 degrees (or whatever), but the metal rack and cake pan
feel hotter than the cake itself and the air around the cake. You can
reach in and touch the cake without a burn, but touching something
metal will blister. But it is all the same temperature.
This is how walking on hot coals works, too.
Just a wild guess, though.
Matt
On Sep 16, 2008, at 11:41 AM, Charles Carlson wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
>
> A couple of things: dead dry grass is pretty much as hot as sand,
> and photosynthesis typically happens around room temperature, and
> plants tend to regulate to that temperature point, the original
> swamp coolers (cooling by evaporation). So here are two conjectures,
> one based on experiential evidence and the other on prior knowledge
> and supporting evidence.
>
> C
> On Sep 16, 2008, at 8:28 AM, Daniels, Alissa wrote:
>
>> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
>> Centers
>> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
>> institutions.
>> *****************************************************************************
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>> We were talking about our new green roof recently, and made the
>> comment that the green roof is cooler than a traditional tar roof;
>> any kid who has ever walked on the grass and then on the driveway
>> can relate to that. The black roof absorbs a lot of heat.
>>
>> But then someone said "well, how about the sand on the beach? it's
>> white AND hot." And we batted around a few ideas ranging from
>> "well, it's still cooler than the black roof, and "well, the grass
>> and the soil hold water, so that keeps it cool" and "it must have
>> to do with the shape of the grains of sand..."
>>
>> Anyone else have any thoughts on this? Something to think about if
>> your September is as quiet as our September.
>>
>> AD
>>
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> Alissa Daniels, Science Program Manager/Senior Educator
>> Boston Children's Museum
>> 617 426 6500 .342
>> "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds
>> new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's
>> funny..." " --Isaac Asimov
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
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> Charles Carlson
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