Q. Why does a stone or marble hearth feel to the feet so much colder than a carpet or hearth-rug?
A. Because stone and marble are good conductors, but woollen carpets and hearth-rugs are very bad conductors.
Q. Why does the stone hearth make our feet cold?
A. As soon as the hearth-stone has absorbed a portion of heat from our foot, it instantly disposes of it, and calls for a fresh supply; till the hearth-stone has become of the same temperature as the foot placed upon it.
Q. Do not the woollen carpet and hearth-rug, also, conduct heat from the human body?
A. Yes; (but being very bad conductors) they convey the heat away so slowly, that it is scarcely perceptible.
Q. Is the cold hearth-stone and warm carpet then of the same temperature?
A. Yes; everything in the room is really of the same temperature; but some feel colder than others because they are better conductors.
Q. How long will the hearth-stone feel cold to the feet resting on it?
A. Till the feet and the hearth-stone are both of the same temperature; and then the sensation of cold in the hearth-stone will go off.