Macquarie Fields High School

Introduction
In winter, we often find ourselves piling on the thickest socks we own, but it
never seems to be enough to keep us warm. Socks are made of a blend of
materials (i.e. cotton blend, wool blend). In these blends, which material keeps
you the warmest?
When winter comes around every year, everyone is in search for the thickest
clothing garments to wear to keep ourselves warm and away from the freezing
weather but nothing ever really does the job. We often find that the only way to
insulate our bodies is to wear many layers of clothes which definitely cause
discomfort. In Australia, winter has unfortunately arrived and I also found that
this is true. This then lead to my curiosity of how I may stay warm whilst at the
same time be comfortable and also have the ability to move freely.
There is an endless amount of material clothing is made out of, varying from
cotton blends to wool but which one keeps you warmest? One of the roles of
clothing is to protect us from the cold, but it also protects us from the heat. This
experiment will particularly focus on socks.
It was scientifically proven that wool is the best material to retain heat for the
longest. An experiment was done to see which room would hold in heat the
longest with different types of curtains. The room with the woollen curtains had
the warmest temperature. People particularly think of housing insulation when
they first think of the idea of preventing heat which is escaping outwards.
Insulation is a process whereby a barrier is put into place to stop heat flow from
'flowing away'. This is an assentation necessity not only in housing but also in
clothing. A well-insulated and designed piece of garment will provide warmth and
comfort. Different climatic conditions will affect what level of insulation you need.
To combat cold, evacuating skin humidity is still essential while several layers of
materials with different properties are necessary to simultaneously achieve this
goal while matching one's internal heat production to the heat losses that occur.
The key is layering for different purposes, as heat loss occurs due to wind,
radiation of heat into space and conductive bridging. The latter is most apparent
in footwear where insulation against conductive heat loss is most important.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_insulation)
In other words, for times like winter, we need to fight the cold. Although we want
to keep or body heat, we still need to allow the skin to evacuate the humidity. As
mankind progresses through technology, we are confronted with the need to
make ourselves warmer. This is achieved through several layers of clothing
whom have different properties whereby they can simultaneously achieve this
goal while concurrently matching one's internal heat production to the heat
losses that occur. An essential component in which is needed is layering for
different purposes, as we lose heat due to wind.
Hypothesis: The insulating material will affect temperature loss. Wool will retain
heat for the longest amount of time. For thousands of years, sheep have been
able to adapt to even the harshest of environments, as their wool protects them
through hot, cold, damp and dry seasons. In this time, man has also used wool

for this very protective property and for the many other benefits offered by the
material. Because of their crimped nature, when wool fibres are packed together,
they form millions of tiny air pockets which trap air, and in turn serve to keep
warmth in during winter and out in the
summer.(http://www.sheepwoolinsulation.ie/why_wool/)

Abstract:
The aim of this experiment is to investigate which fabric retains heat for the
longest amount of time (cotton, wool, acrylic, nylon, rayon, elastane and
polyester).

Aim:
To investigate which material retains heat for the longest amount of time.
Hypothesis:
The insulating material will affect temperature loss. Wool will retain heat
for the longest amount of time.
Equipment:
-

Twenty-four 150g potatoes

Orange cotton fabric, 30cm X 30cm (max 1mm thick)
Orange wool fabric, 30cm X 30cm (max 1mm thick)
Orange acrylic fabric, 30cm X 30cm (max 1mm thick)
Orange nylon fabric, 30cm X 30cm (max 1mm thick)
Orange rayon fabric, 30cm X 30cm (max 1mm thick)
Orange elastane fabric, 30cm X 30cm(max 1mm thick)
Orange polyester fabric, 30cm X 30cm (max 1mm thick)
Thermometer
Stopwatch
Pot with lid
Elastic band

Method:
1. Boil a round potato weighing 150g on medium heat in a small
covered pot with 1.5L of water for 20mins.
2. Place the boiled potato in the centre of a square piece of orange
cotton fabric measuring 30cm X 30cm.
3. (If the fabric is not 1mm thick, double or triple the layers)
4. Pull the corners of the fabric to the centre and tie them together
using an elastic band (refer to Diagram 1).
5. Measure the temperature of the potato by pushing a thermometer
through the opening of the fabric (i.e. where the four corners are
tied), piercing the skin of the potato (refer to Diagram 2).
6. Keep the potato in room temperature conditions (i.e. 25C).

7. Using a stopwatch to monitor time, measure the temperature of the

potato every 10 mins, over a period of 60mins and record the
results in a table.
8. Repeat steps 1 to 6 using other materials; acrylic, wool, nylon,
rayon, polyester, elastane.
9. Repeat steps 1 to 7 three times.
10.
Graph the results.
Diagrams:
How to set up each potato

Diagram 1
Diagram 2
Safety Risks and Precautions:
To prevent hair from catching fire near the stove, ensure hair is tied back.
Boiling water can splash into your eyes. Wear safety glasses.
Boiling water and hot equipment will cause burns and blisters when in
contact with the skin. Use over mittens and wear enclosed shoes when
handling hot objects.
Independent Variable:
The Independent variable is the type of material used to insulate the
potato.
Dependent Variable:
The dependent variable is the temperature of the potato as time passes.
Controlled Variables:

Size and shape of the potato (150g, as round as possible). You can
do this by grating the skin until it is 150g.
How long the potato is cooked for (15mins). Set an alarm and take
out the potato once it has reached the time.
Amount of water used to boil the potato (1.5L). Make sure you
measure the water correctly.
Thickness of the fabric (1mm). If the fabric is not thick enough you
could get another layer.

Uncontrolled Variables:
-

Room temperature
Humidity as it will change the rate of the fabrics insulation

Results:
My original record:
Trial 1
Cotton- 90, 75, 65, 59, 55, 51, 46
Acrylic- 89, 76, 67, 64, 57, 50, 49
Wool- 90, 75, 66, 64, 51, 52, 48
Nylon- 87, 79, 68, 60, 55, 50, 46
Rayon- 90, 73, 63, 51, 48, 43, 38
Polyester- 91, 77, 65, 62, 57, 54, 52
Elastane- 92, 78, 69, 60, 64, 49, 44

Trial 2
Cotton- 94, 76, 65, 58, 54, 50, 46
Acrylic- 93, 86, 70, 67, 60, 56, 54
Wool- 90, 79, 72, 65, 60, 55, 54
Nylon- 96, 80, 68, 61, 54, 48, 45
Rayon- 92, 78, 62, 57, 49, 43, 40
Polyester- 95, 80, 69, 61, 56, 49 45
Elastane- 90, 74, 62, 56, 47, 42, 39

Trial 3
Cotton- 96, 83, 78, 66, 62, 57, 53
Acrylic- 97, 86, 70, 64, 61, 59, 57
Wool- 88, 78, 71, 65, 67, 53, 49
Nylon- 95, 86, 75, 66, 68, 53, 49
Rayon- 91, 83, 66, 57, 49, 43, 39
Polyester- 93, 79, 67, 61, 68, 52, 50
Elastane- 89, 76, 63, 55, 48, 41, 38

My results in a table:
Cotton

Acrylic

Wool

Nylon

Rayon

Polyester

Elastane

Time - C

Time - C

Time - C

Time - C

Time - C

Time - C

Time - C

Test
1

0 mins90
10 mins
-75
20 mins65
30 mins59
40 mins55
50 mins51
60 mins46

0 mins89
10 mins
-76
20 mins67
30 mins64
40 mins57
50 mins50
60 mins49

0 mins90
10 mins
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20 mins66
30 mins64
40 mins51
50 mins52
60 mins48

0 mins87
10 mins
-79
20 mins68
30 mins60
40 mins55
50 mins50
60 mins46

0 mins90
10 mins
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20 mins63
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40 mins48
50 mins43
60 mins38

0 mins91
10 mins
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20 mins65
30 mins62
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0 mins92
10 mins
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20 mins69
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60 mins44

Test
2

0 mins94
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0 mins96
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Test
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56
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47
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0 mins96
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0 mins88
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Test 2
100
90
Cotton

80

Acrylic
Wool

70
Temperature (C)

Nylon
60

Rayon
Polyester

50

Elastane (Cotton Base)

40
30
Time (Minutes)

Test 1
100
90
Cotton

80

Acrylic
Wool

70
Temperature (C)

Nylon
60

Rayon
Polyester

50

Elastane (Cotton Base)

40
30
Time (Minutes)

Test 3
100
90
Cotton

80

Acrylic
Wool

70
Temperature (C)

Nylon
60

Rayon
Polyester

50

Elastane (Cotton Base)

40
30
Time (Minutes)

Average Temperature Loss

60
50
40
30
Temperature (C) 20
10
0

Material

Analysis of Results:
The trend in the graphs Test 1, Test 2, and Test 3, is that the temperature
starts high (87C-96) and as the time increases, the temperature
decreases. With time, the rate at which the temperature drops also
decreases.

Discussion:
My hypothesis is right in that different insulating materials affected the
rate at which the temperature of the potato dropped and wool retained
heat for the longest amount of time.
The results obtained from Test 1 stand out from the other tests in the
sense that when compared to the average temperature loss of the
potatoes being insulated, the overall poorer insulating materials such as
polyester and nylon retained heat for longer amounts of time than the
overall better insulators such as wool and cotton. These inconsistencies
question the reliability of the experiment.
The averaged results show that over a period of 60mins, wool had the
lowest average temperature loss, meaning that it retained heat for the
longest amount of time. Wool was followed by acrylic, and cotton was the
third. The results suggest that naturally occurring fibres are better at
retaining heat as both cotton and wool are of the top three insulators.
Although acrylic is a synthetic fibre, it was created to replicate the
properties of wool and cotton (as a cheaper alternative to the two).
The reliability of this experiment may be affected by the lack of access to
thermal/central heating resulting in the failure to keep the room
temperature constant for each insulating material and for each test.
Furthermore, as the experiment was lengthy and time consuming, each
test had to be conducted over two days. The different weather conditions
of each day may have affected the surrounding temperatures of the
potato, changing the rate of temperature loss. The tests were conducted
in between 20C and 29C air temperature. All other major variables were
kept the same to ensure that each experiment would obtain results as

similar as possible. The experiment was repeated three times to increase

the reliability. Test 2 and Test 3 showed consistency in the results and
matched with the averaged results, as show in the tables and graphs.
To improve the accuracy of the results, electronic equipment could have
been used to measure and record the temperature of the potato more
often, more precisely (in terms of time and temperature) and for longer
periods of time. By reducing all possible parallax errors, it would increase
both the accuracy and reliability of the experiment.
If more time were permitted, I could have improved my experiment by
measuring how long it took for the potato to reach room temperature
instead of measuring the change in temperature over a certain amount of
time. This modification would make the experiment more reliable as it
would show temperatures over a larger time period.
An error made in the method that was not stated was to dry the potato
after you take it out of the water as if the potato makes the fabric wet, it
would change the rate of temperature loss.
One of the challenges I encountered during the experiment was trying to
get the potato out from the boiling water and wrapped with the insulator
in the shortest time possible, while at the same time minimising all
possible risks. The transfer took approximately 2mins and this meant that
the starting time and initial temperature varied slightly for each material
and for each test. The difference in actual starting time lost during each
transfer could be reduced through repetition of the experiment.
One variable that I found difficult to control was thickness of fabric. I
ended up changing the method by adding another step. While doing the
experiment I noticed all the fabrics had different thicknesses. What I did to
achieve a thickness of 1mm was that I had to double or even triple or
quadruple the layers. This wouldve made the results more reliable and
accurate.
Conclusion:
The aim of this experiment was to investigate which material retains heat
for the longest amount of time. It was found that wool retains heat for the
longest amount of time, followed by acrylic, cotton, polyester, nylon,
elastane and finally, rayon.
Referring to my introduction, it was scientifically proven that wool is the
best material to retain heat for the longest. My results showed that wool
was the best insulator and this proves that my experiment is valid and
works.

The averaged results show that over a period of 60mins, wool had the
lowest average temperature loss, meaning that it retained heat for the
longest amount of time. Wool was followed by acrylic, and cotton was the
third. The results suggest that naturally occurring fibres are better at
retaining heat as both cotton and wool are of the top three insulators.
The effectiveness of the insulating material was measured by the change
in temperature of the potato over a period of 60mins. The lower the
temperature loss, the better the material is at retaining heat.
This experiment will help you pick which type of socks you want and what
purpose each material serves. If you are in winter you would want to pick
a sock with the best insulator and that would be a woollen sock. But if it is
Summer and you are wearing socks with shoes it would be smart to pick a
sock with the most rayon in it as it releases more air and does not insulate
as well as a woollen sock would meaning it would keep your feet cool.
Knowing what material insulates best would be good as it would help in
the building of houses. With us knowing that wool is among one of the
best materials to use to insulate, we could then use the fact that if we buy
a curtain containing the most wool in it, it would keep your house cool in
summer and warm in winter.

Bibliography
Levaren, M. (2011) Science Fair Projects for Dummies, United States: Wiley
Brandon, K. (2011) Is That Silk? [Online], Available:
http://fabrics.net/ammyrayon.asp [22 May 2012]
Willbanks, A. (2009) Cotton [Online], Available:
http:/fabrics.net/amycotton.asp [21 May 2012]
Willbanks, A. (2009 Wool [Online], Available:
http://fabrics.net/amywool.asp [21 May 2012]