What melts in your hand
Chemistry · Early Years · The School
Your hand is warm
Your hand is always warm. It stays warm all day and all night, even while you sleep. That warmth is called BODY HEAT. It does not feel very hot to you at all. But it is warm enough to change some things, just by touching them. You cannot see this warmth. You can only feel it, or watch what it does.
Things that melt in your hand
Hold a small piece of chocolate in your hand. Wait a minute. It goes soft and shiny. It melts. Butter does the same thing, given a little longer. An ice lolly melts even faster than both. Ice needs only a little warmth to start melting, and your hand easily gives it that. Your hand does not have to try. It is warm enough, just as it is.
Things that do not melt
Hold a small stone in your hand. Wait a minute. Nothing happens at all. A metal spoon does not melt either, however long you hold it. Neither does a crayon, or a coin, or a wooden block. They all need FAR more heat than your hand could ever give.
Hold a small piece of chocolate in your left hand. Hold a small smooth stone in your right hand. Wait one whole minute, without opening either hand. Open your left hand. The chocolate has gone soft and shiny. It has started to melt. Open your right hand. The stone looks exactly the same as before. Same hand. Same warmth. Two very different results.