Insulation is an important part of the building process; we insulate our homes, schools and businesses to conserve energy. Insulation helps to help us cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Students are asked to design an insulating box, one that would keep ice cubes from melting. Each group was given these materials:

~ Cardboard box
~Gallon plastic ziplock bag
~Roll of tape
~Gram balance
Groups were also provided with an assortment of insulation panels:
~cardboard
~styrofoam
~cotton batting
~6 sheets of newspaper
~bubble wrap
Each group added ice cubes to the plastic bag until they had measured 300 grams of ice. The bag and ice were placed inside the cardboard box and then insulation panels were taped on all six sides. The students left the boxes, untouched and closed, over night.

The next morning, each group opened their containers. Any water found in the plastic bag was poured into a beaker and the remaining ice cubes were placed on the balance. The students' results can be seen here:

Material Mass of Ice before (g) Mass of Ice after (g)
Cardboard 300 180
Newspaper 300 150
Styrofoam 300 285
Bubble wrap 300 230
Cotton batting 300 230

Imagine that your only choice for insulation is newspaper. You MUST keep this ice frozen for more than eight hours. Explain how you could modify this design, using newspaper as an insulating material, to produce more effective results.

Responses
A Add many more layers of newspaper on all sides of the box.Add many more layers of newspaper on all sides of the box.
B Put more ice cubes in the plastic bag before sealing the box.Put more ice cubes in the plastic bag before sealing the box.
C Cover the box with many layers of newspaper but leave the top of the box open to let heat escape.Cover the box with many layers of newspaper but leave the top of the box open to let heat escape.
D Only wrap the newspaper, in many layers around the sides of the box. Leave the bottom and top uncovered.Only wrap the newspaper, in many layers around the sides of the box. Leave the bottom and top uncovered.
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1 answer

To enhance the insulating effectiveness of the design using newspaper for over eight hours, the best option from the provided responses is:

A: Add many more layers of newspaper on all sides of the box.

Explanation:

Adding more layers of newspaper will increase the insulation capability. The air trapped between the layers of newspaper acts as an insulator, effectively slowing down the transfer of heat from the outside environment to the ice inside.
Covering all sides ensures that all potential heat paths are obstructed, which is crucial in maintaining the cold temperature required to keep the ice from melting.
The other options either do not provide sufficient insulation (such as leaving the box open or only wrapping the sides) or do not address the insulation directly (like adding more ice, which won't help if the insulation fails).

In conclusion, increasing the overall insulation by adding numerous layers of newspaper around all sides is the most effective modification you can make to keep the ice frozen for longer.