暖暖包　溫暖你的冬天

它們通常附有布製的外罩來販售，以保護攜帶者的皮膚不會直接接觸該產品內有時可達極高溫的金屬內容物。

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科普園地

        Taiwan has both semi-tropical and tropical climates. Still, in the winter, temperatures can easily dip below 10ºC in the north. People feel cold, especially when it’s windy. So what can people do?

        The handiest solution is, of course, hand warmers. In 1923, Japanese inventor Niichi Matoba built a portable hand warmer, the first of many types. The exteriors of these products share several similarities. They are about the same size. They are often sold with a fabric cover to protect the carrier’s skin from direct contact with the sometimes extremely hot metal interior of the product. It is in their interiors that the differences between hand warmers reveal themselves.

        One type is air-activated. Basically, this type of hand warmer starts working as soon as the packaging is removed, exposing the product to the oxygen in the air. Iron particles, among other chemicals, turn to rust through rapid oxidation. This process produces heat. Once used, this hand warmer must be disposed of.

        A second type of hand warmer relies on chemical solutions to release heat when the solution inside the device crystallizes. It does not produce much more than two hours’ worth of heat, though. The good news is that it is rechargeable by simply placing it into boiling water.

        There are also battery-operated hand warmers and those that use lighter fluid or charcoal as the active ingredients to create heat. If you’re in the market for a hand warmer, consider how long you need the heat to last and whether you want a disposable one. Take your time to decide. Then you’re all set, at least for a few hours!

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