Question

A premature baby in an incubator can be dangerously cooled even when the air temperature in the incubator is warm. Explain.

Short answer

Due to the evaporation of the moisture from the skin, the baby can be dangerously cooled even in the incubator.

Step-by-step solution

Concepts

This problem can be explained by the process of the evaporation.

In the evaporation process, the temperature of the baby decreases by convection.The moisture on the baby's skin evaporates after absorbing heat from the body, and the baby's body temperature reduces.

Explanation

For humans, there is a layer of fat under the skin that insulates the human body from the temperature of the weather. However, for premature babies, the layer of fat is not well developed; so their bodies quickly lose heat in the evaporation process. Thus, the baby's temperature can be surprisingly cooled even when the air temperature in the incubator is warm.

The baby should be inside an incubator that provides a necessary warm and humid environment to keep the baby warm.