Original photo by Ro_ksy/ Shutterstock
Human ears have two main jobs: alerting us to noises in the world around us, and keeping our bodies balanced as we move throughout the day. However, researchers have found another small trick our ears can perform: determining the temperature of water. While they may look identical, hot and cold water make different sounds when poured. With a little help from our brains — which learn to recognize the contrasting tones over a lifetime of repeated exposure — most people can tell the difference between cold water poured from a pitcher or hot water transferred from a kettle, without even seeing the cup being filled.
Oops, incorrect!
It's a factThere is truth to this kitchen lore — adding salt makes it harder for water molecules to become steam, creates a higher boiling point, and makes water hotter, faster. But in small amounts, like a teaspoon, salt’s effects are limited, meaning this trick saves just a few seconds of time.
Without the cues of visible boiling or a collection of ice crystals, liquid water tends to look the same regardless of its temperature. What humans can’t see is that temperature actually affects water’s viscosity (aka thickness), which produces different sounds that we can hear. At lower temperatures, water molecules are sluggish and create temporary bonds that thicken the liquid, producing a lower-frequency sound when poured. Conversely, heated water molecules are more energetic, making it harder for molecules to join together. Fewer bonds result in thinner water, which produces a noticeably higher-pitched sound when transferred into a cup. Researchers say bubbling also plays a role in water acoustics — hot liquids have more bubbles than cool liquids, which contribute to the higher tones we hear while pouring out a cup of coffee or tea.
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The study of heat, temperature, and energy is called ______.
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The study of heat, temperature, and energy is called thermodynamics.
Humans can’t actually feel wetness.
Feeling wet — from stepping out of the shower, diving into a pool, or getting caught in the rain — seems like a straightforward sensation, though amazingly, humans can’t actually feel wetness itself. While our skin contains thousands of nerve endings that recognize temperature, texture, and pain, there are none for wetness. Instead, scientists believe humans are born without an understanding of wetness, though one slowly develops through a mix of temperature and texture sensations; over time, experience helps our brains build an understanding of wet and dry. However, even with decades of data, our brains aren’t foolproof and can cause occasional confusion. That’s why it can be difficult to determine whether something is cold or wet, like a metal park bench on a chilly day.
Nicole Garner Meeker is a writer and editor based in St. Louis. Her history, nature, and food stories have also appeared at Mental Floss and Better Report.
