The Heat is On

For my insulator test, I used four coffee mugs of hot water at 50⁰C.  The insulators I used for my mug coverings were aluminum foil, cotton T-shirt, newspaper, and plastic wrap.  My results were as follows:

Data Table

Recorded Water Temperatures (0C)	Material
	Foil	T-Shirt	Newspaper	Plastic Wrap
Initial	50	50	50	50
Final	43	43	40	42
Temperature Change	8	7	10	8

I had originally hypothesized that the foil would be the weakest insulator, simply because it was metal.  The foil encouraged conduction but discouraged convection.  My only conclusion for the reason it was not the worst is that the absence of convection with the foil resulted in a greater degree of heat being withheld compared to the convection that was occurring with the plastic wrap and newspaper.  Another thing I noticed on the surface of the newspaper was that it appeared to be wet on the outside, whereas the other materials were only damp on the inside when removed.  The newspaper obviously was allowing convection to occur, because water was traveling across the porous paper and then evaporating, which probably created a current that constantly cooled the water at a faster rate.  My explanation for the T-shirt being the best insulator is due to its thickness.  It did not have hardly any of the chemical properties to promote conduction by any means, and both convection and conduction must be less possible when the material in question is thicker.

            If I were conducting this lab at school, I would probably find some better insulators to work with, like rubber or parafilm.  It would also be nice to use a solid as the material generating the heat.  A hot dog fresh out a microwave would be a good way to show radiant energy in action.  Then, slicing the hot dog while it is still hot would show convection (the hot steam coming out).  Quickly wrapping the hot dog up in foil could then display conduction through the foil.