Slytherin Dungeons

[mamadeb]

Why do people seem to believe that the dungeons are cold?

They're not only underground, they're under the Lake. They may be damp, but I would think that, far from being cold, they'd maintain the closest thing to an even temperature all year round. Water and earth are, after all, wonderful insulators.

Comments

[notrafficlights.livejournal.com]

Water does conduct heat - but fairly slowly - and this is independent of contaminants.

All contaminants? Or just some? Ones that change the freezing temperature (mineral/salt deposits) will certainly effect how it conducts heat.

[sraun]

From what I recall of my college chemistry, any water soluble chemical raises the boiling point and lowers the freezing point of water - the amount is so reliable you can use it to figure out the molecular weight of an unknown compound. Until you get lots of contaminant - you probably need to get enough contaminant that you can feel the difference in the water before it affects the heat transfer at any gross level.