The Science Behind Keeping Warm

Posted by 5x5 on January 30, 2010 under Geek Talk, Science | Read the First Comment

The cold weather started me thinking about all the crazy things we do to keep warm in the Winter and why they work. Here’s a few tips on how to stay warm and the science behind why they work.

Towel dry before opening the shower curtain.
One of the dreadful parts of winter is stepping out of the warm shower and feeling the cooler air. While the coolness created by evaporation might be a nice effect during the warmer months, some find it less than pleasant in the winter. By keeping your towel within easy reach, you can dry off first in the warm environment created behind the shower curtain. Sure, evaporation is still occurring, but in a slightly more toasty environment.

I personally enjoyed my grandfather’s solution to this problem. He installed several heat lamps in the ceiling of his bathroom. No matter what the season, you were head to toe warm in that bathroom!

Wear mittens instead of gloves.
Let’s talk surface area. With gloves, each and every finger has its own barrier to the environment. That means the cold can creep in from all directions around each finger. When wearing mittens, not only is there less surface area in contact with the cold, your fingers can snuggle and keep each other warm.

Don’t drink alcohol.
While alcohol feels warm going down, it actually causes your body temperature to drop. The University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics has a nice article on “Effects of Alcohol in the Cold“.

Wear a hat … and a scarf too for that matter.
While losing most of your body heat through your head appears to be a myth, wearing a hat on your head will still keep you warmer than if you didn’t. Any exposed area of your body can experience heat loss. Typically, in colder weather, people bundle up with a nice thick coat, boots and gloves. This creates a barrier between the body and the elements, reducing the amount of heat loss. If you leave your head and face uncovered, these areas will be the primary sources of heat loss on your body, simply because there is no barrier to prevent it. There is a simple fix. Put a hat on your head and pull that scarf up over your face a bit. You’ll find yourself considerably warmer.

For more information on the physics of heat loss:

• How Warm is an Igloo (.pdf) is an interesting paper on how heat from a human body effects the temperature and flow within an Igloo.
• Heat Loss From the Nude Body and Peripheral Blood Flow at Temperatures of 22 degrees C to 35 degrees C (.pdf)
• The Physical Laws of Heat Loss From the Human Body (.pdf)

As Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne would say, “Oh the weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful, And since we’ve no place to go, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”