NationStates Jolt Archive

So...i've been sick today, and monitering my temperature, and it's brought this question to mind, so i figured i'd ask teh genusus (of all types) of general to ponder this question.

Why is it that if our internal temperature is above the envrionmental temperature, we still feel like it's "hot" outside. In other words, how come if the body temp is 98.6 F (that's 37 C for you metric types), and the outside temp is between 80 F (26.7 C) and 90 F (32.2 C) that it still feels "hot" outside, even though that temperature is below the body temperature?

Y'know, I was thinking that the other day...but I didn't post a thread on NS about it. I guess that's the fundamental difference between us. I think it's something to do with the amount of surface area of skin we have that can absorb heat. Plus most of us wear clothes most of the time.

Well...when your home sick surfin the web all day...

Our core temperature is 98.6, which means inside of us. Our skin stays at a much lower temp, due to the fact that is our means of keeping from overheating.

Also, 70 doesn't feel warm when there's no sun out. The temperature of sun rays are well over the air temp, but are absorbed by the ground quite well.

So 98.6 isnt skin temp, and 70 isn't warm without the sunshine on our faces.


Insidentally, I keep my house at 78, which lets me be warm in a pair of shorts.
Whoever said room temp was 68 degrees was a damn eskimo.

You wouldn't feel the human metabolism ran too warm if you were living in Antartica, that's all I'm saying about that.

wow. I never thought about that, although the core temp vs. skin temp thing does make sense.

I always wondered though, about my "regular temp" because normally I run about 94.6, so when I get up to like 98.6 I am a sick puppy, who came up with the 98.6? Is that an average? Do some people run lower and others higher?

My oldest runs about 96 normally and my oldest runs 99 normally. Is that strange? I mean if 98.6 isn't an average and it's a rule then what if we have some weird disease? (I mean we all do have chronic diseases, but what if we have something undiagnosed?)

Our core temperature is 98.6, which means inside of us. Our skin stays at a much lower temp, due to the fact that is our means of keeping from overheating.

Also, 70 doesn't feel warm when there's no sun out. The temperature of sun rays are well over the air temp, but are absorbed by the ground quite well.

So 98.6 isnt skin temp, and 70 isn't warm without the sunshine on our faces.


Insidentally, I keep my house at 78, which lets me be warm in a pair of shorts.
Whoever said room temp was 68 degrees was a damn eskimo.


Well skin is where we lose our heat so its going to be cooler. Its physics. The more skin you have per pound the more heat you lose. The less skin you have per pound, the less heat you lose. People with greater surface area compared to their volume lose more heat, people with less surface area lose less heat. This is why extremely large people can stay warm longer then smaller people, while small skinny people get cold quicker then the large people.

(For the Europeans just replace pound with Kilo)

Because we gauge temperature by how hot our skin is.

Why is it that if our internal temperature is above the envrionmental temperature, we still feel like it's "hot" outside.Because we can't rid ourselves of the excess heat we produce as easily.
We try to keep a constant core temperature, but with everything we do we use energy, and thus add heat to our system. It's easier to get rid of the excess heat when it's colder, and when it's gets hotter you need additional heat management, like sweating, and resting (so you create less additional heat).

wow. I never thought about that, although the core temp vs. skin temp thing does make sense.

I always wondered though, about my "regular temp" because normally I run about 94.6, so when I get up to like 98.6 I am a sick puppy, who came up with the 98.6? Is that an average? Do some people run lower and others higher?

My oldest runs about 96 normally and my oldest runs 99 normally. Is that strange? I mean if 98.6 isn't an average and it's a rule then what if we have some weird disease? (I mean we all do have chronic diseases, but what if we have something undiagnosed?)
98.6 is the average. I tend to run around 97-98.

Also, core temperature is the area from the head, extending to the shoulders and down (but narrowing) through the body trunk. Temperatures in the arms, legs, and on the skin are much cooler. Therefore, 80 is "hot". Also, humidity, which stops sweat from evaporating, means our skin further heats up. And finally, as someone said, sun rays. They will heat our skin directly, whereas the air heats indirectly. Therefore, sun on the face and 70 feels nice while cloudy and 70 feels a little chilly