Is aluminium foil a good insulator?

Question

Why? Why not?
Pleease help.
and also are plastic or paper towels good insulators too?
Why? Why not?
Thanks heaps!!

Answer 1

It would depend on what type of insulator you have in mind. As an insulator for electricity it would be a poor insulator because it conducts electricity well. It was used as a conductor in wires for a while until it was discovered to become resistive over time. It would also be a poor insulator from heat. A lot of cookware is made of aluminum. Plastic and paper both would probably be considered as good insulators from both. The atomic structure of the primary elements of composition determine whether the material is a good insulator or conductor. If the primary element has a large number of electrons in its outermost electron orbit it would be a good conductor. Conversely few electrons in the outermost orbit would make it a good insulator.

Answer 2

You do not say what form of insulation you want, electric, sound or thermal. I will make a guess at thermal. Aluminium foil is worse than useless, being a metal it has high thermal conductivity and helps the heat to escape. Plastic towels are better but by far the best of your three are paper towels. The insulating ability of materials mainly results from there being air trapped in their structure - air is a great insulator. Use the paper towels scrunched up but not too tightly as this traps even more air. Materials like expanded polystyrene are super insulators as they are nothing but millions of little air bubbles surrounded a microscopically thin skin of the plastic.

Answer 3

Aluminium foil would make a poor insulator for conduction and convention because is such a good conductor of heat (and so the heap whill quickly dissapate). However it would make a good insulator for radiation because its shiny surfaces will reflect heat in the form of electromagnetic radiation back to the source. This is why it is useful for fire blankets. The intense heat radiated from the fire is reflected away from the body.
Plastic or paper towels make better insulators for conduction and convention because is a poor conductor of heat.

Answer 4

There are three ways for heat to move. Radiation, conduction and convection.
Did you ever stand near a closed window and get a chill on the shoulder near the window. The heat in your shoulder radiates right out the window. Put your hand on something warm, you feel the warmth, that's conduction. Hot air rises, hold your hand ten inches above a lit candle, you feel the heat, that's convection. Anything that cuts down on radiation, conduction or convection can be considered an insulator. The shiny side of aluminum foil reflects radiated heat. Bounces it right back.

Answer 5

Aluminum foil is a fantastic conductor, so no, it is not an insulator at all. Aluminum is a metal, so it conducts heat and electricity quite well. I believe plastic and paper to be good insulators.

Answer 6

If you mean heat insulation then the best is: Foam (I suspect you mean special inslatinoal foam) then Cloth, Aluminium foil is worst. If you mean sound insulation it's pretty much the same.

Answer 7

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Is aluminium foil a good insulator?
Why? Why not?
Pleease help.
and also are plastic or paper towels good insulators too?
Why? Why not?
Thanks heaps!!

Answer 8

Al foil is not an INSULATOR
Insulators are mostly nonmetals
check the periodic table for more information

Answer 9

Not really, its more of a reflector. You can put it under the cover of your ironing board and increase the ironing ability of your iron. Or put it behind radiators to reflect the heat back into the room rather than warming the walls.