Insulation

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Insulators are materials that do not conduct either heat or electricity. Some materials, such as wood and plastic, are good insulators while others, such as metal, are poor. Materials that are good insulators have a low density and air trapped within the material. Air is not a good conductor of heat so the material has goof insulation properties.

Heat or Thermal Insulators

  • Keep our bodies warm as they prevent the transfer of heat away from our bodies. Clothes are insulators and keep us warm, however they do not generate heat, they simply slow down the transfer of heat away from the body into the surroundings.
  • Keep our homes warm in a very similar way. Insulators prevent heat being lost from our homes through the walls, windows and roofs.

Electrical Insulators

  • Materials that do not conduct electricity allow us to handle electrical equipment relatively safely since the current does not ‘pass out’ of the equipment.
  • Insulators allow us to control the flow of electricity around a circuit through the use of switches.
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