Why is the Radiator Called Radiator?

Definition:

1. A heating device consisting of a series of connected pipes, typically inside an upright metal structure, through which steam or hot water is circulated so as to radiate heat into the surrounding space.

2. A cooling device, as in automotive engines, through which water or other fluids circulate as a coolant.

3. A body that emits radiation.

dear there will be contact between tube, gas , water so we can not say it is radiation.

the radiator is the process of heat exchange which done with out medium. the air is also medium. and as you said there is tube wall is a medium.

Fine, call it whatever you want and nobody will know what you are talking about. See how far that gets you.

That's right, more heat is transferred by convection than radiation. It's a misnomer, but nobody's going to change now.

Why, my convector on my pick-up truck started to leak its conducting contactor.

That's a bit extreme. There are plenty of furnaces where the predominant heat transfer is through radiation, even though there is a gas (flue gas) present.

Are you saying that the radiator actually dissipates heat mainly by convection rather than radiates it therefore why do we call it a radiator? If so then I don't know, I think it sounds better calling it a convector.

It's one of those insoluble mysteries of life.

Like: why do we park on a driveway, but drive on a parkway?

Or: why is it called the Department of Education, when America has gotten stupider ever since it was created?

And: who put the ram in the ram-a-lam-a-ding-dong?

but drive on a parkwayIn Houston its mostly a place where you park during a traffic jam.

There is a reason that the Long Island Expressway is called the big LIE.

You've not visited Etherville. On a short stretch of road, enough for about 10 cars, 2 of the 4 cars parked had a rear wheel up on the kerb. How on earth the driver didn't notice, I've no idea. For total madness I can reccommend spending 15 minutes watching parking maneauvers at any of the local supermarkets. Little old ladies who can hardly see over the windowscreeen...Don't get me wrong, they terrify me far less than some teenager who's just passed their test and statistics can back me up. All UK drivers should have to clock x-number of hours on the M25, worse still the M20. Can't vouch for the truth that it inspired Chris Rhea, but I love a good musical interlude.....

What was the question ?

I tell people, "If you want some cheap entertainment, just go to the nearest boat ramp on a weekend and watch the action."

you need a new hobby, this one is going nowhere

And then there is the radiation of energy from an antenna...yup they have radiators too!

- that the root words refer to transfer in a radial fashion.

My own angst is about 'hot air rising'. rather than 'cold air sinking'. It must be some sort of negative gravity concept.

Because it radiates.

Your over thinking it. Radiate diverge or spread from or as if from a central point.

Does not a radiator diverge or spread heat from itself as the central point. The means was not important at the time of the naming. Which I believe comes from the old home steam and water heaters.

Why is an automobile called a car? Is car short for cart, carriage, chariot??

The word car derives ultimately from the Latin word carrus, a four-wheeled vehicle. The mystery is why a car is called an automobile, which is (a) a much longer word, (b) the bastard offspring of Greek and Latin roots and (c) not definitive, since aeroplanes are also self-propelled. The vehicle is better described as a motorcar.

Television is a right bastard.

Do you perchance have somebody precede you in preferred transport with a flag ? I bally hope so, it's unfair on us bipedals . A car is a weapon of mass distruction, often driven by those have scant regard for others. Bigger the car, more stupid the 'driver'.

It all went wrong when people stopped wearing proper attire (gloves, cap, googles), and the RAC stopped saluting motorists who sported the badge.

Gorden Bennett, it ain't rocket science..

Because Turboencabulator was already taken?

To be accurate it should probably be called a conductor/convector/radiator.

Then again maybe just radiator is easier.

/condenser

Wow. We covered that in 7th. grade science class back in the 60's.

Why do people keep calling me Hugh?

The pain is almost too much....

Radiators is fun, but we're done with this. The Redfred challenge is on - somebody ask a total serious question and see if no toon can be found, It's pretty much the weekend, so forget the OT AP - I defy anyone to post without inviting a tenuous musical link. Betcha nobody can make a comment without some hero getting one.. Place your bets y'all.

I'm owed £1 on another thread (you know who you are), the lucky winner can have it. Deductions made for good spelling and granmas. Extra points for those without hangovers and due for sight test in 2 hours. The Optician or wife will butcher me, so not much to risk arghhhhhh.

Hugh ? Are you sure it's not more of a 'huuuurl' sound ? Trust the voice of experience - grit yer teeth and keep the nutricious bits in . Absolute no fib, that was the first bit of advice my mentor at uni gave to me. It was kind of routine to con various companies to give a tech guest lecture, so long as beer and sarnies provided. For my lot it was fun, but no jest that in my mentors (Hungarian) day it was a reality . Lucky sods like me had it much easier.

Anybody recall the question ? My money is now that it's something to do with gerbils.

Those little rodents (the Chinese version of course) are being blamed for the plague!

The Beeb stated it to be Gerbils, but I remain neutral on the issue.

Fecked if I'll buy another Siberian Hamster, but if anybody has a herd of Wilderbeest I'm interested. .

One tenuous song link coming up!

http://www.reverbnation.com/wildebeest

Nice !

Many times I've heard there was no such thing as a dumb question. I've started believing it. Now I'm not too sure.

There are three types of heat transfer:

Conduction: Heat travels from one solid or liquid to another solid or liquid by direct contact.

Convection: Heat travels from a solid or liquid into the air, and the air later transfers the heat to a second solid or liquid.

Radiation: Heat escapes a solid, liquid, or gas as infrared light, which induces heat in another solid. liquid or gas when it absorbs the infrared light.

On Earth, you will often have all three forms of heat transfer at once, as any warm object will likely be touching either another object and/or the air, and everything emits infrared light if it is above Absolute Zero.

As to why a radiator is called a radiator? It's simple, much like the people of the time who named it. Do you warm yourself by touching the radiator? No, it's too hot, you'll burn yourself. So you can't call it a 'Conductor,' besides, that name is already used for wires. Does the radiator heat up the air and blow it around the room? Yes and no, it heats up the air touching it, and that air rises to the top of the room, with the colder air at the bottom of the room moving in to replace it, but this is a passive process, and requires understanding of fluid dynamics to explain, which the illiterate masses of the time would not have, so we cannot call it a 'Convector.' Do you feel the heat as you put your hand near it, from the top, sides, even underneath? Yes, that means that it is 'radiating' heat into the room, if it radiates, than it must be a Radiator, just like something that conducts is a Conductor, something that conveys is a Conveyor, and something that calculates is a Calculator.

And do you know what we call Anonymous posters who ask Kindergarden-level questions here? I won't tell you because A: we say it behind your back, and B: you'd probably throw a tantrum in you knew.

Probably because it "radiates". Usually heat.

Radiator / see ; Sergius Orata

You may work out the answer for yourself. A motor vehicle radiator do not work if you remove the black paint from the copper. Taking the paint of make it a convector where the heat from the water is transfered to the copper but the copper do not have the characteristic to radiate the heat into the air. This is the same reason they will make home use water kettles shiny on the outside, to keep the heat inside.

Thank you.

I thought that radiators were painted black because black was the cheapest paint to use and copper left unpainted would cause the copper to oxidize at the solder joints and also create a thermal barrier on the fins. Of course this doesn't explain why copper heater cores are coated with a clear varnish and most radiators are now aluminum now, other than being cheaper to manufacture than copper and brass.

I suspect the clear varnish on copper surfaces is an aesthetic choice. Copper should be sealed by something because copper salts can easily form causing brittle points that leak. Aluminum needs no chemical protective layer because aluminum oxide is such a stable oxide that binds very well to the original metal. Additionally the rate of oxidation for aluminum is so fast in air that virtually any non-piercing nick is quickly resealed with the oxide. Additionally with aluminum the one or two molecule thick oxide layer is effectively no additional thermal barrier in the heat exchange.

"Additionally the rate of oxidation for aluminum is so fast in air that virtually any non-piercing nick is quickly resealed with the oxide."

If I've heard right from the science shows, it's so fast that even churning molten aluminum has an aluminum oxide layer between it and the air. The only thing that takes less time for aluminum to form its oxide skin is the time between the traffic light turning green and the yahoo ten cars back to start honking his horn for the traffic to move. (Seriously, the green photons haven't even gotten past the fifth car before that yahoo starts honking, GIVE IT A REST, BUDDY!)

(Yes, I did have more idiots than usual on my drive into work this morning, how could you tell?)