Try This at Home: Insulation Investigation
Illustrated Concepts
The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that heat energy moves from warm to cold. An insulator is a material that does not allow heat energy to move through it.
What You Need
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5 small plastic baggies – zip-top or sealable with
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Rubber bands or twist ties
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Ice cubes
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Various materials to test
What To Do
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Make sure you have an adult with you to supervise this experiment.
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Collect 5 materials that you want to test for insulative properties. Some ideas of things you could try are aluminum foil, t-shirt fabric, newspaper, a winter coat, etc. You could even try a small wooden box, a ceramic mug with a saucer as a top, or a Styrofoam container.
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As quickly as you can, place an ice cube in each baggie and seal the bag closed. Then wrap one of your test materials around each ice cube so that it is completely covered (or place the ice cube inside the material, if it is not bendable).
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Make a hypothesis! Do you think the ice cubes will all melt at the same rate?
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Place the ice cube bundles in direct sunlight for 1-2 minutes.
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Open each bundle to see how much each ice cube has melted. Did they all melt the same amount? Which materials were better for keeping heat away from the ice cube? Which materials would be good to use in Antarctica?
What's Happening
Any material that prevents heat energy from moving from one place to another can be called an insulator. Most insulators worn as clothing used trapped air to prevent heat transfer. For example, a winter coat traps more air in its thick fabric than a thin t-shirt does, so less heat energy is able to make its way through the coat. Other good thermal insulators include wood, ceramic and Styrofoam, all of which also trap air in them.
Fun Fact
It hasn’t rained or snowed on some parts of Antarctica for over 100 years!