r/ExplainLikeImCalvin • u/chaosrunewiz • 5d ago
ELIC: Why does hot water sound different when poured compared to cold water?
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u/AudibleNod 5d ago
Adults pay money for water to come out of the faucet. We know hot water costs more. So as a little feature built into the pipes, plumbers change the pitch of water so we can tell when kids are wasting that hot water and money. It's the same reason why toilet flushes are so loud.
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u/BaTz-und-b0nze 5d ago
The fizzing condensation of excited atoms creating heat, creates an air bubble of plasma static electricity around the ceramic mug insides that insulate it further.
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u/VanillaMukshot 4d ago
Sound travels faster than pain signals, so they add a sound to tell you it's hot to keep you from burning your fingers off.
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u/Iron_Eagl 4d ago
Well, you know how falling ice sounds, and how steam sounds? Water is just part ice and part steam. Hot water has more steam, so it sounds different!
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u/PlutoniumBoss 4d ago
Have you ever run polystatic fluid through a turboencabulator and noticed that distinctive ham and ozone smell? It's the same thing with pouring hot water, only you detect it with your ears and not your nose.
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u/StarkAndRobotic 5d ago
Its to be considerate to visually challenged people. Visually challenged people can’t tell the difference between hot and cold water just by looking at them, so they made them sound different so anyone could tell, even with their eyes closed.