Help !!!!!!!?

Question

Buildings are usually insulated with materials such as fiberglass, which contain pockets of trapped air. The insulation in buildings helps keep warm air from flowing out of buildings in winter, and likewise prevents the warm air from flowing into buildings in summer. What is the best explanation for the effectiveness of insulators such as fiberglass?


Gases, such as air, are better insulators than solids or liquids.
Heat transfer is accelerated with materials such as fiberglass.
Fiberglass is resistant to cold.
Fiberglass is resistant to heat.

Answer 1

Why the assumption that fiberglass is the best insulator for buildings? Its actually the lowest. It does not form a vapor barrier at any depth. Fiberglass is just the cheapest and easiest for the DIY projects.

For your exam: Go to Starbucks and get a paper cup with hot coffee, then go to Circle K and get a styrofoam cup 1/8" thick and see which material provides the best insulator. If fiberglass is so great, then why do foam coolers exist?

Better yet. Go get a roll of the fiberglass and roll a bag of ice into it and place it in the sun. Then go back to Circle K and buy a 5.00 styrofoam chest, but a bag of ice in and close the lid.

Place both in the sun on a 100 degree day and see what the fiberglass with all its trapped air does for you. Foam provides a vapor barrier in as little as 2" and eliminates all heat transfer. Most foams are rated to withstand 200 degrees of heat, some are made for even higher temp ratings than that.

Answer 2

Insulation works be resisting the flow of energy. Heat energy move by radiation (rays), conduction (moving through a surface), and convection (moving air).

Glass is an insulator, in and of itself. It resists conducting energy, both heat and electrical.

Fiberglass also traps pockets of air which diminish the transfer of energy through convection.

Answer 3

Gases, such as air, are better insulators than solids or liquids