WHICH MATERIALS WILL PROVIDE THE BEST INSULATION FOR THE THERMOS?

*Styrofoam : Since the air pockets are too small they are unable to make a convection current between substances.

All the isolated gas bubbles slow down the transfer of heat.

REFERENCE: wiki.answers.com, http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4898717_why-styrofoam-good-insulator.html

*A Cotton Sock:  Cotton is a good thermal insulator as it traps air and has only little pockets of holes that air can go through, and that makes heat transmit slowly.

 

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*Steel wool:  Steel wool is a fair thermal insulator (thanks to the trapped air) 

 REFERENCE:amlloyd.appspot.com

*Duct tape:  It's not as conductive as metals, but a lot more insulated  than foam or fiberglass insulation. Probably about the same as wood.

 

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*Bubble Wrap:  Each bubble contains air inside , which is a very good insulator. Very little heat exchange occurs, so whatever is wrapped in the bubble wrap is kept at a more or less constant temperature.

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*Plastic: Because it's also made up of small air pockets tightly packed together so that heat is lost very slowly.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_plastic_a_good_insulator_of_heat

*Rubber: Rubber is a very dense material which makes it a good heat insulator because the denser the material is, the tigher the atoms are. When atoms are tightly packed together they're a stronger bond, so heat can't escape.

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