Science Explains #4: Why does the Pizza Cheese is hotter than the Crust?

shairanada (55)in #science • 7 years ago (edited)

Have you experienced getting the roof of your mouth or tongue burned from eating a Pizza? Did you ever wonder why the cheese is hotter than the crust?

Admit it, WE LOVE PIZZA! And according to BBC news report on 2014,

On any given day, more than 40 million Americans will eat pizza. And it is considered the most popular meal in the world.

And once the Pizza we order arrive, we indulge in it immediately without thinking it's still very hot. When we do, we often get our tongue/mouth burned.

In this episode, Science explains why the cheese is hotter and why you are most likely to get burned by the cheese than the crust when eating a slice of Pizza (or a box, no one eats just a slice, not me at least).

_{Bonus picture for you: A picture of me having the best time of my life while eating a slice of Pizza}

Now, I know this topic will make us all crave and drool for a while but please, bear with me. The reason behind this phenomenon can be explained by Thermodynamics involving Specific heat capacity and Thermal conductivity of a given substance.

Cheese has higher Specific Heat Capacity than the Crust

What does Specific Heat Capacity means?

Photo is mine.

The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of any substance or material per unit of mass is called Specific Heat Capacity. The specific heat capacity of a material is a physical property.

The ratio of the amount of energy transferred to a material and the change in temperature that is produced is defined as heat capacity, given by the formula:
C = Q / ΔT
where:
C is heat capacity,
Q is energy (usually expressed in joules),
and the delta T (ΔT) or temperature gradient is the change in temperature (usually in degrees Celsius or in Kelvin). Alternatively, the equation may be written as:
Q = CmΔT
Specific heat and heat capacity are related by mass, written:
C = m * S
Where:
C is heat capacity,
m is mass of a material,
and S is specific heat.
Note: Since specific heat is per unit mass, its value does not change no matter the size of the sample. For example, the specific heat of a gallon of water is the same as the specific heat of a drop of water.

So why does it burn the roof of your mouth?
This happens because the cheese has a higher heat capacity of probably about 3.27 kJ/kgK, and the crust has a heat capacity probably close to 1.7 kJ/kgK depending on its moisture content and other factors.

The cheese having almost double of its specific heat capacity than the crust will give up more heat hence, heats the roof of your mouth more. The cheese causes it to absorb more heat to raise its temperature than the crust does due to high heat capacity.

Cheese has a higher Thermal Conductivity than the Crust

What does Thermal Conductivity means?

Photo is mine.

Thermal conductivity refers to the amount or speed of heat transmitted through a material. The higher the thermal conductivity a substance has, the higher rate of heat transfer occurs across materials than those of materials having low thermal conductivity. The thermal conductivity of materials is temperature dependent.

What does it indicates?
The cheese having a higher thermal conductivity conducts heat better so it can deliver the heat to your mouth more quickly while the pizza crust transmits heat more slowly. So, even if they were the same temperature, the cheese would more likely give your tongue/mouth a severe burn.

Conclusion

Cheese having a higher specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity than the crust makes it hotter and will most likely cause to give your tongue or mouth burns when one does not eat responsibly.

Hi fellow Steemians! I just wanna share this Gif below for being so cute and adorable! I hope you learned something from this episode of Science Explains!