How much heat do you think a man can stand? In the tropics (and in some parts of the subtropics as well) a temperature can rise up to a noticeable 45oC in the room or in the shade. Even in some cases or in some places a temperature can soar up as high as 55oC in the shade. In the region of "Death Valley" in California, if I'm not mistaken, the temperature of 57oC had been recorded.
Ok now you might guess that above-mentioned temperatures are given as temperatures in the room or in the shade. Ok I'm telling you this, that's because the temperatures recorded in the room or in the shade is the best representation of the right air temperatures anywhere. If the thermometer you are using for measuring the temperature is exposed to the sun directly, it will be heated up to a much greater temperature than that of the surrounding air. In short, it is pointless in referring to readings of a thermometer exposed to the sun, speaking of heat waves!
Ok, now let's go back to our main topic above, how much heat can a man stand? Two British scientists in 1940s, Blagden and Chentry had proved that we can bear a temperature even above boiling point, as high as 160oC by gradually warming up in a very dry air! Those two British scientists spent hours on end in a heated bakery furnace.
So Where does the explanation lie? In that our body actually repels the high temperature by producing excessive sweat to keep down the temperature close to normal. This abundant sweat absorbs much of the heat from the air layer directly envelopping the body, thus adequately lowering the temperature. The only essentials that need to be observed are for the body not to come into contact with the source of heat directly and for the air itself to be near absolute dry! A wet or humid air will impede the body to produce excessive sweat.
In daily case we understand how it can happen in the case of dry air. if you've travelled to many places in the world, it is easier to stand a heat of 37oC in dry air than that of 24oC in humid air.
(Adapted by Yari NK from a Russian entertainment physics book by Y. Perelman and A. Shkarovsky)
3 comments:
This post made me remember some people who died in Merapi's shelter/bunker couple years ago.
Do you remember?
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