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.
image 65196d15df774f8691ac657c569f24c2
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.
The correct answer is 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, thus helping to keep the food cold all morning.
To determine which material would be best to include in the lunchbox, we need to understand the concepts of conductors and insulators.
Conductors are materials that allow heat to flow through them easily, meaning they conduct heat well. Insulators, on the other hand, are materials that do not allow heat to flow through them easily, meaning they insulate or slow down the transfer or heat.
Looking at the table provided, we can see that the specific heat capacity of foam is 0.20 J/g°C, while the specific heat capacity of rubber is 0.15 J/g°C. Specific heat capacity is a measure of how much heat energy a substance can absorb or release per unit mass and per degree of temperature change.
Given this information, we can conclude that foam has a higher specific heat capacity than rubber. Higher specific heat capacity means that foam can absorb or release more heat energy per unit mass and per degree of temperature change compared to rubber. This indicates that foam has a greater ability to hold or release heat.
Based on this understanding, the best material to use in the lunchbox would be D - foam. Since the lunchbox is designed to keep food cold all morning, we want a material that can act as an insulator to slow down the transfer of heat from outside of the lunchbox to inside of the lunchbox. Foam, with its higher specific heat capacity, will better fulfill this purpose compared to rubber, which is a better conductor of heat.