its for environmental science
The short - yet concise - answer is that 'insulating materials' do their job by virtue of the fact that they are made of a composite of materials that together have a very low heat conductivityHeat always travels from a hot 'source' to a cooler 'sink' (Laws of Thermodynamics)If there is a significant thermal resistance between these two points - as achieved by a barrier exhibiting poor thermal conductivity, the heat transfer will be very considerably impeded - i.e'insulated'The actual Physics of insulating materials is associated with the mobility of the electrons in a given substanceThe easier the electrons can move, the greater the heat conductivityThat's why good electrical insulators usually make good heat insulators - and vice-versa - think of copper, on the one hand, and ceramic, on the other.
The short - yet concise - answer is that 'insulating materials' do their job by virtue of the fact that they are made of a composite of materials that together have a very low heat conductivityHeat always travels from a hot 'source' to a cooler 'sink' (Laws of Thermodynamics)If there is a significant thermal resistance between these two points - as achieved by a barrier exhibiting poor thermal conductivity, the heat transfer will be very considerably impeded - i.e'insulated'The actual Physics of insulating materials is associated with the mobility of the electrons in a given substanceThe easier the electrons can move, the greater the heat conductivityThat's why good electrical insulators usually make good heat insulators - and vice-versa - think of copper, on the one hand, and ceramic, on the other.
