# Why does plastic feel less cold/hot than glass or metal ?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-plastic-feel-less-cold-hot-than-glass-or-metal/756720>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 7, 2016, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-plastic-feel-less-cold-hot-than-glass-or-metal/756720 "2016-06-07T09:14:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-plastic-feel-less-cold-hot-than-glass-or-metal/756720/21 "2016-06-07T17:09:59Z")

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> [@Leo\_Bloom](#):
>
> Well, this is also equivalent to the old standby of a volume’s “total” heat versus measurement of its temperature, which is by definition a measure of some level of molecular energy at some level of near-instantaneous time (hedges so chemical physics and quantum guys can lob their grenades): a drop of hot bathwater, at some temperature, on your skin, vs a whole-body dunk in the whole tub of water at the same temperature.

Yes - but my point was merely to show that the two different materials really were at the same temperature, in spite of what our senses might tell us.

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