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Authors: David Feldman
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proprietor of the Baron’s Palace Hotel, just miles from Cango Farm, reports:
When forced into a flooded river, they float in the water to safety, but do not go into water to cool down or swim.
But veterinarian Carole Price, president of the American Ostrich Association, counters with:
Yes, ostrich swim. In fact, they love water.
So here we are answering this Imponderable with a qualified yes: Ostriches certainly can swim, but perhaps reluctantly so. We were able to find one image of an ostrich swimming at http://www.marijuana.org/pictures6-14-99/swimingostrich.JPG, but we’re not sure what role marijuana played in the proceedings!
Submitted by Galen Musbach of Greeneville, Tennessee.
When You Switch Chairs with Someone, Why Does the Seat Sometimes Feel Warm?
T his is a rare example of an Imponderable posed in front of us at the moment it was born. A pal, Chris McCann, was playing West in a duplicate bridge tournament. In duplicate bridge, the North-South players remain seated at the same table, while East-West players move from table to table after playing a few hands. When Chris came to our table, he noted that the wooden chair he sat in felt very warm.
We have had the same experience, so for years we’ve done some empirical research on this Imponderable. We also consulted with two science types, both of whom hold advanced degrees from accredited universities, and because they have a reputation to protect, didn’t rush to have us quote them by name. They confirmed our impressions that this is a matter of simple, thermal conductivity: When two surfaces press against each other, there is an exchange of heat between them. But what determines the degree of heat transfer?
1.Time and Temperature
Although the core temperature in our body is approximately98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of our skin is lower, usually a little above 90 degrees. Under normal circumstances, we’re sitting in rooms that are much cooler. So if a chair has been previously occupied, the former occupant, let’s call him “Ex,” is going to warm a chair to a higher temperature than the ambient air in the room.
When we are first seated in a restaurant, though, we are unlikely to perceive our chair as warm, because the table has been unoccupied long enough for the chair to cool off to the room temperature. At the bridge tournament, the new occupant, let’s call him “Chris,” might be in Ex’s seat within seconds of Ex leaving, allowing plenty of time to bask in the warmth left behind.
2. Length
The longer Chris has been standing up, exposed to the 70-degree room, the more likely he’s going to feel that the chair that Ex is vacating will be warm. The longer Ex has sat in the chair, the warmer that chair will be, as more of Ex’s heat will be transferred to the chair. But the longer Chris sits in the chair, the less he is likely to continue perceiving the chair as warm, as the contrast in temperature peaks upon first contact.
3. Width
There is no getting around it. There is a direct correlation between the mass of the buttocks region and how much heat Ex is able to transfer from his booty to the seat. The wider the rear, the tighter the seal between the skin (with its higher temperature) and the surface of the chair is accomplished, and the more heat is transferred. If Ex filled out the seat before him, even a slimmer Chris is sure to hit a “hot spot.” There are plenty of bridge players with ample rears, and in our experience they tend to leave the gift of warm seats when they move on to the next table.
4. Surface
What kind of clothing are Ex and Chris wearing? The thinner the clothing, the more easily heat can be transferred to or felt from the chair. Probably even more important is the composition of the chair. Metal is a great conductor. Ever sit on an aluminum chair in shorts in an air-conditioned room in
When forced into a flooded river, they float in the water to safety, but do not go into water to cool down or swim.
But veterinarian Carole Price, president of the American Ostrich Association, counters with:
Yes, ostrich swim. In fact, they love water.
So here we are answering this Imponderable with a qualified yes: Ostriches certainly can swim, but perhaps reluctantly so. We were able to find one image of an ostrich swimming at http://www.marijuana.org/pictures6-14-99/swimingostrich.JPG, but we’re not sure what role marijuana played in the proceedings!
Submitted by Galen Musbach of Greeneville, Tennessee.
When You Switch Chairs with Someone, Why Does the Seat Sometimes Feel Warm?
T his is a rare example of an Imponderable posed in front of us at the moment it was born. A pal, Chris McCann, was playing West in a duplicate bridge tournament. In duplicate bridge, the North-South players remain seated at the same table, while East-West players move from table to table after playing a few hands. When Chris came to our table, he noted that the wooden chair he sat in felt very warm.
We have had the same experience, so for years we’ve done some empirical research on this Imponderable. We also consulted with two science types, both of whom hold advanced degrees from accredited universities, and because they have a reputation to protect, didn’t rush to have us quote them by name. They confirmed our impressions that this is a matter of simple, thermal conductivity: When two surfaces press against each other, there is an exchange of heat between them. But what determines the degree of heat transfer?
1.Time and Temperature
Although the core temperature in our body is approximately98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of our skin is lower, usually a little above 90 degrees. Under normal circumstances, we’re sitting in rooms that are much cooler. So if a chair has been previously occupied, the former occupant, let’s call him “Ex,” is going to warm a chair to a higher temperature than the ambient air in the room.
When we are first seated in a restaurant, though, we are unlikely to perceive our chair as warm, because the table has been unoccupied long enough for the chair to cool off to the room temperature. At the bridge tournament, the new occupant, let’s call him “Chris,” might be in Ex’s seat within seconds of Ex leaving, allowing plenty of time to bask in the warmth left behind.
2. Length
The longer Chris has been standing up, exposed to the 70-degree room, the more likely he’s going to feel that the chair that Ex is vacating will be warm. The longer Ex has sat in the chair, the warmer that chair will be, as more of Ex’s heat will be transferred to the chair. But the longer Chris sits in the chair, the less he is likely to continue perceiving the chair as warm, as the contrast in temperature peaks upon first contact.
3. Width
There is no getting around it. There is a direct correlation between the mass of the buttocks region and how much heat Ex is able to transfer from his booty to the seat. The wider the rear, the tighter the seal between the skin (with its higher temperature) and the surface of the chair is accomplished, and the more heat is transferred. If Ex filled out the seat before him, even a slimmer Chris is sure to hit a “hot spot.” There are plenty of bridge players with ample rears, and in our experience they tend to leave the gift of warm seats when they move on to the next table.
4. Surface
What kind of clothing are Ex and Chris wearing? The thinner the clothing, the more easily heat can be transferred to or felt from the chair. Probably even more important is the composition of the chair. Metal is a great conductor. Ever sit on an aluminum chair in shorts in an air-conditioned room in
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