What is an insulator?
The insulator is a material or method that reduces heat or electricity transfer. In the case of heat, thermal insulators may reduce the heat. They generally use specific materials and will prevent heat transfer from moving. In the case of electricity, electrical insulators limit the electric current to the designated path. They usually work using a material with many external elections, a condition that causes low electrical conductivity.
The first feeling of insulator is the thermal sense. The thermal insulator helps keep the object at the same temperature, whether hot or cold. It usually works by dealing with either guidance or convection, which are two ways of heat transfer. The line is heat that moves the material whose atoms are stationary; This type refers to heat that can pass through a piece of solid metal. On the other hand, the convection is an internal heat carried with a movable matter; this occurs when the wind carries heat from the body.
The function of the thermal insulator by slowing the heat of speed can move through the area. The rate of conductive heat transfer is proportional to the material properties called thermal conductivity-for example, the temperatures convert quickly due to its highly tetermal conductivity. Therefore, a good insulator has low tietermal conductivity. In fact, the air has low conductivity, but it tends to move a lot. The use of the blanket acts as a thermal insulator because it forces air to transfer heat instead of convection.
The second insulator feeling is electric. The electrical insulator does not allow electricity to flow because it has low electrical conductivity. Electrical conductivity affects many factors, including temperature, but the elements tend to have either high or low behavior. This results in, because different elements have a different number of external electrons, which changes how easy it is to free these electrons. For example, metals tend to have high conductivity because their outer electrons Jare easy to liberate.
Many other elements and compounds have a high number of external electrons, which makes them difficult. This is usually the case of glass, plastic, porcelain and rubber. These materials are therefore used in electrical equipment to maintain electric currents on a limited path. Low electrical conductivity is also a feature of air and many other gases. Air is the only insulator used on elevated electrical lines.