Chapter 22, Problem 25A

Wood is a poor conductor, which means that heat is slow to transfer—even when wood is very hot. Why can firewalkers safely walk barefoot on red-hot wooden coals, but not safely walk barefoot on red-hot pieces of iron?

To determine

To Explain: Firewalkers can safely walk barefoot on red-hot wooden coals but not on the red-hot pieces of iron.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

Wooden coal does not absorb the heat as much as metal pieces because wooden coal is an insulator whereas metal is a conductor of heat.

A metal piece (Iron) is a good conductor of heat and hence it absorbs more heat. On the other hand, the transfer of heat in wooden coal is very slow. So, the firewalkers can safely walk over red-hot wooden coal but not red-hot pieces of iron, otherwise, their feet would get burnt.

Conclusion:

Hence, the coal is a poor conductor of heat as compared to metal.