The Heat Is On

           During this week’s lesson I learned about the three methods of heat transfer; radiation, conduction, and convection.  I also learned that some materials are good thermal conductors, easily letting heat pass through them, while others are good thermal insulators, not easily letting hear pass through them.  My experiment was designed to show how temperature changes based on the use of different insulators.  A good insulator stops the transfer of heat.  An example of a good, common, everyday insulator would be a blanket for keeping warm and a Styrofoam cooler for keeping items cool.

• Which of the three methods of heat transfer did the materials encourage or discourage?

The four different types of materials that I tested were: Paper Towels, Aluminum Foil,

Cotton Fabric (cloth) and Wool socks. 

The results

1)      Aluminum insulation is not a good insulator because it has a high transfer rate.

2)      Wool socks can keep your feet warm and comfortable but can cause irritation if handled.

3)      Paper towels are good insulators because they help to maintain the temperature in the mug longer.

4)      Cotton is a good thermal insulator because it traps the air.  Heat loss occurs when the body is exposed to cold air.  The skin loses heat to the surrounding cooler air through conduction.

A cotton shirt creates a trapped layer of air around the body, the trapped air warms up, thereby keeping your body warmer.

The best insulator turned out to be cotton.  I was a bit surprised because I had thought that Paper would be the best insulator.  I like to drink a good hot cup of coffee and it is mostly served in a paper cup not a cotton cup (lol).  Lastly, I think that since all of the mugs were covered, for the experiment, this in itself helped to insulate the water in the mug.  An open mug clearly would have cooled off faster than a covered mug regardless of what the materials being tested.

Conclusion

For my heat transfer experiment, the heat method – convection, had the most influence in this area.