Check your subscription status, update your details and more. Why can’t we cool water as quickly as we can heat it? part 3 This question was posed as part of New Scientist’s Last Word series, in which readers give scientific answers to each other’s questions. Here’s what our readers had to say **Why can’t we cool water as quickly as we can heat it? (continued)** The rate of heat transfer to, or from, water is determined by three variables.
The first factor is the difference in temperature between the heating source and the water. The second factor is called the heat transfer coefficient. The third is the contact area between the water and the medium that is doing the heating or cooling.
Heating is generally accomplished by an electrical element, or some form of flame. The heating source can be hundreds of degrees hotter than the water. In contrast, cooling is generally accomplished with a liquid refrigerant or with ambient air, both of which are usually less than a few tens of degrees cooler than the water.
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