G4_Air is to Insulator as Copper is to Conductor_Lower_Level_01

There is nothing better than hot soup on a cold day. Yum! This new thermos is great at keeping Mom’s homemade soup hot. Have you ever wondered how you can hold the outside of the thermos and not get burned by the hot things inside? If there is something hot and you are close to it but do not touch it, why don’t you get burned? The answer to this question lies in knowing about an insulator.

It is the air that is keeping you from the hot item. This is an important idea that tells many insulators apart from conductors. Think about what would happen if you were attached by a long thin piece of copper to the hot item. What do you think would happen? Eventually, the copper would get the heat to you.

All solids, liquids, and gases are made up of tiny bits called molecules. Air is a good insulator because its tiny bits are far apart. This makes the contact between them less. By making the contact less, it stops moving the energy between the bits.

What is the most common way to not burn yourself? One of the best ways to do that is to have air between you and the item. Is there an even better way?

What could be better than air as an insulator? How about having no tiny air bits? If it is the movement of energy from the tiny bits together that is the cause of heat moving, then the best insulator would have no tiny air bits.