From what I've read about heat, temperature and conductivity, I understand that the reason water at room temperature feels colder than most other things at the same temperature (like wood, air, cotton) is because of its higher thermal conductivity. That is, it transfers heat quickly from my body to itself, as well as within itself.
(Assuming the thermal conductivity is the only reason why different materials feel colder or warmer), what I don't understand is why metals feel about as cold as water, while their thermal conductivities are 100-to-200 times higher than that of water (Water's is ~0.58 W/mK, the values for metals range from 50 to 400).
I suppose there is more to why materials at identical temperatures suck heat faster; what is it?
Best Answer
The parts of your body that generate heat and that can sense temperature and the loss of heat are insulated from the environment by a layer of dead skin cells. The total thermal conductivity to the environment is the thermal conductivity of the materials that you touch in series with the thermal conductivity of this layer of skin. Since this layer has a rather poor thermal conductivity itself, the sensation of touching different materials with much better thermal conductivity will not differ much. If this skin layer is broken, however, temperature and heat conductivity differences are felt much stronger, usually in a rather painful manner.