Profound Question

This has been bothering me. No, really. If the sun shines on a lump of red hot metal does it make the metal warmer?

Comments

[Yorrik]

no, it doesn't. You can only make something get a higher temperature with something that has an even higher temperature.

[Sjoerd de Haan]

Well, that's strange, because the sun has a higher temperature ;-)

It just slows the cooling process. Red Hot Metal is hotter than the effect of the sun on earth, so it doesn't warm it up, but it makes the environment of the metal warmer, which makes it cool slower.

[Phoenix]

Basically, I think it depends on the environment and the variables involved. Bottom line though is that yes, given the right situation, I believe the rock would warm up, however in normal conditions I would expect the above to be true.

[Rob]

I'm still not sure. I think that it should get hotter. In France I think they made a solar furnace using a bunch of mirrors:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_furnace

but I think that Sjoerd de Haaan is on the money with this.

[Andrew Hook]

No becuase the snow around the lump of red hot metal stops it from getting any hotter.