Article View: sci.physics
Article #7375Re: The physics of coffee cups
From: John Jacobsen
Date: Sun, 02 Nov 1986 20:24
Date: Sun, 02 Nov 1986 20:24
18 lines
1444 bytes
1444 bytes
> MESSAGE
> It seems to me that a nice thick coffee mug is the proper design
> because, when the coffee is 1st poured it is too hot to drink. The large
> mass absorbs a lot of the heat quickly cooling it down to a drinkable level.
> After that, the thick walls of the cup insulate the coffee so that it doesn't
> keep on cooling quickly. Is this right? Maybe a coffee cup has to be made
> with the walls in two layers. The inner layer being thermally conductive
> in order to absorb heat quickly, and the outer layer insulative.
The French have a better solution -- drink out of bevel-lipped bowls. The
coffee in the center of the bowl stays warm while the coffee at the lips
cools quickly to drinking temperature. Not a very 'physical' explanation
but it works for me.
John E. Jacobsen
University of Wisconsin -- Madison Academic Computing Center
john@unix.macc.wisc.edu or {allegra|seismo|ihnp4...}!uwvax!uwmacc!john
Technical Details
Message-ID:
<459@uwmacc.UUCP>Path:
arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!mnetor!seismo!uwvax!uwmacc!johnReferences:
<594@vaxwaller.UUCP>Show Full Headers
Complete Article Headers
Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!mnetor!seismo!uwvax!uwmacc!john From: john@uwmacc.UUCP (John Jacobsen) Newsgroups: sci.physics Subject: Re: The physics of coffee cups Message-ID: <459@uwmacc.UUCP> Date: Sun, 2-Nov-86 15:24:24 EST Article-I.D.: uwmacc.459 Posted: Sun Nov 2 15:24:24 1986 Date-Received: Tue, 4-Nov-86 00:38:11 EST References: <594@vaxwaller.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: UWisconsin-Madison Academic Comp Center Lines: 18