Conceptual Physics (12th Edition)

Published by Addison-Wesley
ISBN 10: 0321909100
ISBN 13: 978-0-32190-910-7

Chapter 16 - Think and Explain - Page 317-318: 47

Answer

Don't try this at home. A large piece of very cold metal can rapidly conduct heat from the layer of saliva on the tongue, freezing it and bonding the tongue to the metal. Licking a clean piece of wood is safe, because wood is a poor heat conductor. Heat is conducted from the saliva relatively slowly, and freezing doesn't occur fast enough to bond the tongue.
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