How do people survive in Texas?

Smug Duckling

Ok, maybe the title is a bit misleading, but this is something I've been wondering about forever. I would have put it in H/A, but it might qualify as Discourse.

Anyway, I don't understand how it is possible for humans to survive in temperatures hotter than our core body temperatures (around 37C or 100F). As far as I know we have many ways of heating ourselves (putting warm clothes on, burning fat, etcetera), but very few of cooling ourselves outdoors on 40C days. I may be wrong, but I thought that sweat only cooled us because the cooler air exchanges heat with our skin when the sweat evaporates. If the air is warmer than our skin, then I would think this effect would disappear.

So educate me D&D - how is it possible for humans to survive in temperatures higher than our internal body temperatures? Is it even possible indefinitely?

Icey

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_transition

See also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latent_heat

Doc

Yep, sweating causes you to shed heat pretty efficiently, even if the outside temperature is hotter than your body.

Smug Duckling

So the idea is that your body provides a large part of the energy that is required to change the liquid sweat on your skin into gas?

That makes sense.

Arkady

Also, 500 dollar electric bills in the Summer. No exaggeration. But the sweet joy that is central air is worth it.

Heir

Arkady wrote: »

Also, 500 dollar electric bills in the Summer. No exaggeration. But the sweet joy that is central air is worth it.

Holy crap, 500 bucks? How inefficient is your A/C unit...and is your house one giant window?

I think the highest we've had in our 1500 sq. ft. house is $200 in August. And I keep it pretty cold at night.

Doc

Smug Duckling wrote: »

So the idea is that your body provides a large part of the energy that is required to change the liquid sweat on your skin into gas?

That makes sense.

Yeah, evaporation is an endothermic process. It cools down the surface it evaporates from. If you want to go all Mr. Wizard/Bill Nye, swab some rubbing alcohol on your arm and blow on it. Since the alcohol evaporates quickly, the coolness is much more noticeable than it is with water.

Dark Moon

Is it true that new houses in the southern states are built pretty much completely devoid of any sort of insulation? I've heard anecdotes about houses being built there with four layers to the walls, from inside to out: drywall, 2x4 stud, plywood and exterior coating x like stucco. If true, this seems like completely lunacy if there's going to be such a huge temperature gradient between exterior and interior temperatures.

Heir

Dark Moon wrote: »

Is it true that new houses in the southern states are built pretty much completely devoid of any sort of insulation? I've heard anecdotes about houses being built there with four layers to the walls, from inside to out: drywall, 2x4 stud, plywood and exterior coating x like stucco. If true, this seems like completely lunacy if there's going to be such a huge temperature gradient between exterior and interior temperatures.

Probably depends. Most newer homes have good insulation. I know some of the older apartments we used to live in had pretty crappy insulation.

Ohtsam

Dark Moon wrote: »

Is it true that new houses in the southern states are built pretty much completely devoid of any sort of insulation? I've heard anecdotes about houses being built there with four layers to the walls, from inside to out: drywall, 2x4 stud, plywood and exterior coating x like stucco. If true, this seems like completely lunacy if there's going to be such a huge temperature gradient between exterior and interior temperatures.

For the most part that is bullshit
Insulation is as important for keeping heat out as keeping it in

deadonthestreet

Man it isn't like Texas is the hottest place in the world.

The Cat

Yeah, hi folks.

Mort sur la rue

People live in the Sahara, people live in Antarctica.

People will generally live anywhere. That's whats great about people.

maximumzero

Smug Duckling wrote: »

Ok, maybe the title is a bit misleading, but this is something I've been wondering about forever. I would have put it in H/A, but it might qualify as Discourse.

Anyway, I don't understand how it is possible for humans to survive in temperatures hotter than our core body temperatures (around 37C or 100F). As far as I know we have many ways of heating ourselves (putting warm clothes on, burning fat, etcetera), but very few of cooling ourselves outdoors on 40C days. I may be wrong, but I thought that sweat only cooled us because the cooler air exchanges heat with our skin when the sweat evaporates. If the air is warmer than our skin, then I would think this effect would disappear.

So educate me D&D - how is it possible for humans to survive in temperatures higher than our internal body temperatures? Is it even possible indefinitely?

I live in Louisiana. It's even worse.

100F + HUMIDITY

Shinto

My wife and I used to live in an attic apartment without air conditioning. All the heat from the house would rise on summer nights and make it into an oven. We would be awake at two in the morning mixing rubbing alcohol and water and rubbing it on ourselves with face clothes trying to prevent heat stroke.

Harrier

The Cat wrote: »

Yeah, hi folks.

It was your ancestors' fault for committing the crimes that got them shipped off to the penal colony on the continent that was 90% desert.

zakkiel

I suspect your body also has mechanisms for moving heat into a hotter reservoir. This is completely unscientific and based solely on the fact than when I breathe on my hand at 110F, my breath still feels hot (if I'm wearing body armor or otherwise making it necessary for my body to work really hard at cooling off).

Unknown

This content has been removed.

whitey9

Harrier wrote: »

The Cat wrote: »

Yeah, hi folks.

It was your ancestors' fault for committing the crimes that got them shipped off to the penal colony on the continent that was 90% desert.

I realize that was a joke, but it was more about shipping off the lower class rather than getting rid of the criminals. Neat stuff.

maximumzero

mcdermott wrote: »

maximumzero wrote: »

I live in Louisiana. It's even worse.

100F + HUMIDITY

No shit. I spent time at Fort Polk in the summer...human beings were not meant to live there.

Oh, and all that "it's a dry heat" shit you hear about the desert (whether Texas, Arizona, wherever) largely matters because the less humid the air, the more quickly your sweat evaporates and the more effective it is at cooling you...also, the drier the air the more effective simple shading is.

Honestly, Louisiana was the first place I've been that I thought was largely uninhabitable to humans, because your sweat quite simply doesn't evaporate. After a while outside you look like you've gotten out of a damn swimming pool. I have no idea how our body can survive in ambient temperatures that high when it's that humid, but here I am so I guess that's possible as well.

Exactly. Heat doesn't bother me, it's that "Oh god I'm soaking wet and sticky I just want to take a shower" feeling that bugs the shit out of me in Louisiana summers.

Hearthjaw

whitey9 wrote: »

Harrier wrote: »

The Cat wrote: »

Yeah, hi folks.

It was your ancestors' fault for committing the crimes that got them shipped off to the penal colony on the continent that was 90% desert.

I realize that was a joke, but it was more about shipping off the lower class rather than getting rid of the criminals. Neat stuff.

You know what they say, Australia got the scum and America got the weirdos.

whitey9

Hearthjaw wrote: »

whitey9 wrote: »

Harrier wrote: »

The Cat wrote: »

Yeah, hi folks.

It was your ancestors' fault for committing the crimes that got them shipped off to the penal colony on the continent that was 90% desert.

I realize that was a joke, but it was more about shipping off the lower class rather than getting rid of the criminals. Neat stuff.

You know what they say, Australia got the scum and America got the weirdos.

I've never heard that phrase.

chasm

Humidity matters. A summer in Texas ain't shit compared to a summer spent on the coast in Louisiana or Mississippi.

Feels Good Man

chasm wrote: »

Humidity matters. A summer in Texas ain't shit compared to a summer spent on the coast in Louisiana or Mississippi.

Unless that summer in Texas is also spent near the Gulf of Mexico.

Ah, Houston.

Ant000

whitey9 wrote: »

Hearthjaw wrote: »

whitey9 wrote: »

Harrier wrote: »

The Cat wrote: »

Yeah, hi folks.

It was your ancestors' fault for committing the crimes that got them shipped off to the penal colony on the continent that was 90% desert.

I realize that was a joke, but it was more about shipping off the lower class rather than getting rid of the criminals. Neat stuff.

You know what they say, Australia got the scum and America got the weirdos.

I've never heard that phrase.

What'd Canada get?

Hacksaw

Ant000 wrote: »

whitey9 wrote: »

Hearthjaw wrote: »

whitey9 wrote: »

Harrier wrote: »

The Cat wrote: »

Yeah, hi folks.

It was your ancestors' fault for committing the crimes that got them shipped off to the penal colony on the continent that was 90% desert.

I realize that was a joke, but it was more about shipping off the lower class rather than getting rid of the criminals. Neat stuff.

You know what they say, Australia got the scum and America got the weirdos.

I've never heard that phrase.

What'd Canada get?

French who though France sucked, and set out to found their own.

shryke

Ant000 wrote: »

whitey9 wrote: »

Hearthjaw wrote: »

whitey9 wrote: »

Harrier wrote: »

The Cat wrote: »

Yeah, hi folks.

It was your ancestors' fault for committing the crimes that got them shipped off to the penal colony on the continent that was 90% desert.

I realize that was a joke, but it was more about shipping off the lower class rather than getting rid of the criminals. Neat stuff.

You know what they say, Australia got the scum and America got the weirdos.

I've never heard that phrase.

What'd Canada get?

The "Give me Liberty or .... well, just Liberty really. No rush though" crowd.



And, to be on topic, if your living somewhere where the temperature regularly goes above 35C, your crazy. That's the earth's way of telling you "Fuck off".

Quid

35? Ahahahaha.

You silly Canadians.

The Cat

So i guess we're all talked out in here then

(shoe's on the other foot now, imperialist scum!)

Elki

This is one of those threads that are a lot more interesting before you go into them.