why does foam keep coldness in?
2006-11-05 07:58:16 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
foam is an insulator material. This means it does not conduct heat very well.
2006-11-05 08:13:43 · answer #1 · answered by Dr. J. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
More than keeping coldness in, it also keeps the heat out.
First of all, the foam does not conduct heat, so heat transfer to whatever you have inside is slowed down.
Second, foam is full of tiny bubbles of air. In order to heat up what is inside your foam box (for example), the heat has to not only travel through the non-conducting material, but also through each little pocket of air. There isn't usually enough heat in a short time to transfer all the way from the outside to the inside.
A styrofoam cooler, for example, is also almost always white, which reflects light away. It is also thick (for the 2nd reason above.)
2006-11-05 08:27:21 · answer #2 · answered by T'Vral 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't...it keeps heat out. The foam is an insulating material. It doesn't conduct heat well, and so what's inside stays cold.
2006-11-05 08:00:43 · answer #3 · answered by hcbiochem 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋