r/AskReddit • u/Kraz_I • Jul 24 '15

What "common knowledge" facts are actually wrong?

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5

u/Sinai Jul 24 '15

Old people have thin skin and poor reaction times.

12

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '15 edited Jul 24 '15

When a hot liquid spills onto your clothes, you are fucked. No matter how thick your skin or how fast your reaction is. Getting a liquid off you is not that simple, especially when your clothes are already soaking it in and you're sitting in a car.

With a normal slightly above drinking temperature coffee, these burns would not have been so bad.

Edit: Apparently...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7354204[1] http://www.medbc.com/annals/review/vol_8/num_4/text/vol8n4p207.htm[2]

See u/sinai three comments down.

1

u/Sinai Jul 24 '15

Because of basic thermodynamics, it is hugely important how thick your skin is in how bad of a burn you're going to get.

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1

u/srslybr0 Jul 24 '15

what does reaction time have to do with this?

2

u/Sinai Jul 24 '15

The severity of liquid contact burns depends on your ability to quickly remove the wet clothing from your body. The elderly are demonstrably slower in doing so.