system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Which keeps my coffee warmer longer: holding the cup in my hands or leaving it alone on the table?

I often hold my hot drinks (coffee, tea, etc) in my hands to warm up. Does this make my drink lose heat quicker than if it was left to alone sitting on a table?
gpt
Holding the cup in your hands will maintain a higher temperature at equilibrium.  That is, somewhere above room temperature.

The initial difference of radiative heat loss from the sides of the cup versus conductive heat loss to your hands is a difficult calculation.  However, assuming near boiling temperature, the efficiency of conductive heat loss to your hands with a gradient of 100:30 C will be greater than the radiative heat loss with a gradient of 100:20.  So your hands would cool very hot coffee quicker.

At some point in between the extremes of boiling and room temperature the rate of heat loss will be equal.  What that temperature might be would be easier to discover experimentally versus empirically.

Kid's science project!