Question

On a cold morning, the metal surface will feel colder to touch than a wooden surface, because –
A) Metal has high specific heat
B) Metal has high thermal conductivity.
C) Metal has low specific heat
D) Metal has low thermal conductivity.

Answer 1

We are given a practical situation where we touch a metal surface and wooden surface which are at the same room temperature on a cold morning. We need to understand the behaviour of the two materials with heat in order to answer the question.

Complete answer:
We know that the metals feel colder to touch than other materials like wood on a cold morning. The metals are very good conductors of heat, they quickly transfer heat from a body with relatively higher temperature making the body in contact to drop its temperature.
When we touch a metal surface, the metal conducts the heat from our body to the metal very quickly, lowering our body temperature. This lowering of temperature is what we feel as cold.
The specific heat capacity is the energy required by a material to raise the temperature by one degree Celsius, which is not related to the cold feel on the metal.
Thus, the thermal conductivity is high for the metals and is the reason for the phenomenon we feel.

Therrefore, the correct answer is option B.

Note:
The metals are good conductors of heat. The rate of heat flowing from one end to the other end in a metal is very fast as compared to other objects making it one of the best conductors of heat. The cold behaviour of metal shouldn’t be confused with its conductivity.