Answer:
1. Because they trap air, which is a poor conductor of heat. They hold surfaces away from each other, to stop direct conduction.
In foam there is a large gap between the conduction band in atoms making up the foam.
or
The atoms of some materials have no free electrons in their outer orbits. These electrons are busy doing other jobs, like being shared in the orbits of two adjacent atoms. They are so closely held that it is very difficult to pull them away. Most compounds of carbon and hydrogen are like this.
Plastics, whose molecules are made from long combinations of carbon and hydrogen atoms, have few or no free electrons. This means that plastics are poor conductors of electricity (and they are also poor conductors of heat).
2. The reason that the sand on a beach cools down faster than the ocean water at night is because of specific heat. The sand on a beach has a lower specific heat than the water which means that the sand needs less thermal energy to raise the temperature by one degree Celsius.
or
The thermal conductivity and heat capacity of sand are less than those of water, so it does not absorb as much heat, and releases it more quickly.
Explanation:
Four factors are involved: The mass of the substance, the interface to another medium (air), the heat capacity of the substance, and the heat conductivity of the substance.
3. No, it can't. Here's why: Heat is thermal energy that is transferred from one place to another.
4. Thermal energy is transferred from hot places to cold places by convection. Convection occurs when warmer areas of a liquid or gas rise to cooler areas in the liquid or gas. Cooler liquid or gas then takes the place of the warmer areas which have risen higher. This results in a continous circulation pattern.
5. Blankets form a barrier between your body and that cold air. ... The colder the surroundings are, the more insulation you need to keep your body heat from escaping too fast, hence the blankets job is to slow down heat transfer, which prevents your body heat from being lost to the air around you
6. The vents should be located near the floor because warm air rises and then transfers that thermal energy to the cooler places in the room.
