Jayla and her grandma are designing a lunchbox. The lunchbox will be made out of thin fabric and a zipper, with an extra layer of material to help keep food cold all morning. Jayla is deciding whether the extra layer of material will be foam or rubber. The specific heat capacity of each material is shown in the table.
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Using the data, explain which material would be BEST to include in the lunchbox.
A
The best material to use is rubber, since it is the best conductor. A conductor will help increase the transfer of heat from inside of the lunchbox to outside of the lunchbox.
B
The best material to use is rubber, since it is the best insulator. An insulator will help slow the transfer of heat from outside of the lunchbox to inside of the lunchbox.
C
The best material to use is foam, since it is the best conductor. A conductor will help increase the transfer of heat from inside of the lunchbox to outside of the lunchbox.
D
The best material to use is foam, since it is the best insulator. An insulator will help slow the transfer of heat from outside of the lunchbox to inside of the lunchbox.
D
The best material to use is foam, since it is the best insulator. An insulator will help slow the transfer of heat from outside of the lunchbox to inside of the lunchbox.
D
The best material to use is foam, since it is the best insulator. An insulator will help slow the transfer of heat from outside of the lunchbox to inside of the lunchbox.
To determine the best material to include in the lunchbox, we need to understand the properties of both foam and rubber and how they relate to heat transfer.
Specific heat capacity is a measure of how much heat energy a substance can absorb or release per unit mass. The higher the specific heat capacity, the more heat energy the material can store.
From the given table, we can see that the specific heat capacity of foam is 0.22 cal/g°C, while the specific heat capacity of rubber is 0.52 cal/g°C. This means that rubber can store more heat energy per gram compared to foam.
Now, let's consider the options provided:
A. The best material to use is rubber, since it is the best conductor. A conductor will help increase the transfer of heat from inside of the lunchbox to outside of the lunchbox.
While it is true that rubber is a better conductor of heat than foam, this is not necessarily advantageous for a lunchbox designed to keep food cold. A good conductor would allow heat from the outside environment to transfer into the lunchbox, potentially warming up the food inside.
B. The best material to use is rubber, since it is the best insulator. An insulator will help slow the transfer of heat from outside of the lunchbox to inside of the lunchbox.
This option is incorrect because rubber, being a good conductor, is not an ideal choice for insulation. An insulator is supposed to slow down the transfer of heat, but rubber's conductivity would allow heat to easily pass through, warming up the food inside.
C. The best material to use is foam, since it is the best conductor. A conductor will help increase the transfer of heat from inside of the lunchbox to outside of the lunchbox.
This option is also incorrect because foam, being a poor conductor of heat, would not enhance the transfer of heat from inside to outside the lunchbox. It would instead act as an insulator, slowing down the transfer of heat.
D. The best material to use is foam, since it is the best insulator. An insulator will help slow the transfer of heat from outside of the lunchbox to inside of the lunchbox.
This option is correct. Foam, with its low specific heat capacity, acts as a good insulator. It will help slow down the transfer of heat from the outside environment to the inside of the lunchbox, helping to keep the food cold for a longer time.
Therefore, the best material to include in the lunchbox is foam because it is the best insulator.