(Upbeat music)
(creaks)
- Okay, BrainStuff, it's me, Jonathan.
Let's say you're in
Northern Greece or Bulgaria
or maybe Polynesia and some
villagers convince you that,
you know what, walking
barefoot through fire can't be
that bad, I'm willing to
risk third degree burns
to participate in their bonding ritual,
thereby demonstrating the
awesome power of my faith.
But is it really mind over
matter like some people say?
How do people walk on hot coals
without burning their feet?
Well here's the good news,
there is a scientific answer.
It involves heat
conduction and insulation.
For it to work, coal walkers
light the fire well ahead
of time and let it burn
down to non-flaming coals.
I repeat, they're walking
on coals, not fire.
See, the lightweight
carbon structure of coal is
actually a poor conductor of heat.
This means it takes longer for
the heat to transfer to human
skin than a good conductor
would, like a burning metal pan.
Water also has a high
thermal capacity which is why
coal walkers let the
wood burn down first so
the embers don't retain water.
It also helps them to pat
down and spread the coals
so there's a flat surface
that prevents their feet from
digging in and scooping up hotter embers.
If they keep moving, each step
should absorb relatively little heat.
That's why they're coal
walkers and not coal standers,
otherwise their feet would
sink and burn like bacon.
Finally, you ever notice how most
coal walking is done at night?
Well, that's because coal walkers cover
their path with a layer of ash.
If the sun were up, you'd
see this, but at night
the glow is still visible
through the layer.
Ash is also poor at conducting heat.
It blocks some of the warmth
coming from the coals,
transferring the heat even
more slowly to your feet.
Even with this information
about conduction
and insulation, coal walking
can still be dangerous.
Sometimes a hot coal
might get stuck to a foot.
Tripping and falling can even be fatal.
And watch out for misinformation about
the physical principles behind this stunt,
there's some claims out there
that are simply not true
and I wouldn't want any
BrainStuff fans to get hurt.
That said, now that we know
there's science involved,
what do you think about the
whole mind over matter claim?
Is there more to this trick?
Let us know your thoughts
in the comments below and
don't forget to click the
subscribe button for our channel.
I promise it won't hurt so
long as you do it at night
and cover your screen with ashes.
Don't really do that.
