Question based on real experience

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of heat transfer in a frying pan, particularly focusing on the experience of a participant who burned themselves while attempting to cool down a hot frying pan by pouring water on it. The scope includes concepts of thermal conduction and the unexpected transfer of heat to the handle of the pan.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes their experience of burning themselves while holding the handle of a hot frying pan after pouring water on the hot surface, seeking an explanation for the heat transfer.
  • Another participant suggests that heat from the hot end of the frying pan diffused to the cold end during the cooling process, proposing an experiment to test this idea.
  • A different participant offers a perspective that the frying pan was already hot enough to cause a burn, implying that the perceived increase in heat was due to prolonged contact rather than a change in temperature.
  • One participant challenges the previous claim by noting the timing of the burn occurring shortly after pouring water, indicating a sudden increase in temperature.
  • Another participant questions whether the act of tightening the grip on the handle contributed to the sensation of increased heat.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the cause of the burn, with some attributing it to heat diffusion and others to the initial temperature of the pan. The discussion remains unresolved, with multiple competing explanations presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants have not reached a consensus on the mechanisms of heat transfer involved in this scenario, and assumptions about the thermal properties of the frying pan and water are not fully explored.

zinedine_88
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question...based on real experience!

Hi everyone

OK... I was frying eggs and was using an old frying pan with a metal handle without any protection so when the pan get hotter and hotter so does the handle.


When I finished using it i tried to cool it down by pouring water on top of it. What happened was that as I poured water on the pan ( the part which was evidently the HOTTEST) the heat transferred to the handle which I was holding and eventually I burned myself.


Why did that happen?

An easier way for you to picture what happened(in case u don't get it from my description above) is to imagine that you have a rod which is extremely hot on one side and cold on the other one. As we try to cool down the hot end of the rod the heat is transferred to the cold end immediately ( or as quickly as we awe cooling the hot end down).

Why that is.


I thought that as we cool down the hot end of the rod, the heat will be absorbed by the water and steam will be formed.

I DID not expect that as I cool down the hot end , I am going to get burned by holding the end with lower temperature.

Please explain to me :)

Thank you
 
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Educated guess: The heat from the hot end diffused to the cold end during the cooling process. If you want to experiment, try holding the cold end for a while without cooling the hot end. If it takes longer to get too hot, my guess is wrong.
 
Less educated guess from practice: the longer you hold the hot frying pan, the hotter it SEEMS to be, but in fact its temperature doesn't change. It was hot enough to burn you if hold for long from the very beginning.
 
i don't think that can be an answer because i held it for 2 minutes...when suddenly got burned 2 seconds after i poured down water on the hot end...
 
there was a sudden increase in temperature
 
Wasn't it the moment that you had to keep it stronger then before? And you have tightened the grasp?
 

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