Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

good day! hope you are well! supporting my son re: his 8th grade project,... need to ask "expert interview" questions please... project : testing different fabrics to determine the best fabric to wear in whatever weather... ... questions here but not sure what else to ask...researched to define boiling point of water, various fabric contents etc,... if you have ? suggestions/other direction, please guide, thanks...
simple project/experiment - place boiling water in 6 different canning jars and seal, then wrap 5 of the jars with different fabrics: wool, polyester, denim, cotton and felt...1 jar wont have anything wrapped around it... measure water temperatures at start and then every 15 minutes for 2 hours to determine what fabric was most effective in maintaining temperature... project discussion brings in to consideration importance of clothing/fabric in respect to hyperthermia(cold) and hypothermia(hot), etc...
. how long would it take (on average) for hyperthermia to set in on a person in 0 degree weather in minnesota (regardless of clothing type)?
. how long ".............................." wearing wool clothing (would it extend time period)?
. how long ".............................." wearing cotton clothing (would it reduce time period)?
. how long ".............................." wearing no protection/clothing (how much faster than if clothed, etc)?
. what fabric would you recommend in severe cold weather to prevent hyperthermia?
. how long would the recommended fabric protect from hyperthermia?
. what is best fabric for gloves in severe cold weather conditions?
. what is best fabric for hats in severe cold weather conditions?
. how long would it take (on average) for hypothermia to set in on a person in 100 degree heat in florida?
. how long ".............................." wearing wool clothing (would it reduce time period)?
. how long ".............................." wearing cotton clothing (would it extend time period)?
. how long ".............................." wearing no protection/clothing (how much slower than if clothed, etc)?
. what fabric would you recommend in severe hot weather to prevent hypothermia?
. how long would the recommended fabric protect from hypothermia?
. what is best fabric for hats in severe hot weather conditions?
. what is the best fabric recommendation for median temperatures (50-60 degrees, no matter where)?
. what is the most durable fabric ?
. what is the best fabric recommendation for snow conditions?
. what is the best fabric recommendation in wet weather conditions? ...and does that change if weather is hot or cold?
. do recommendations for fabric in whatever weather (as responded in above situations) change for infants, children, adults, elderly? how?

you are most appreciated ! (regardless of responses,... believe you offer valued service/resource)... thanks...

Hi,

First of all, the meaning of words:

Hyperthermia = too hot!

Hypothermia = too cold!

Check a dictionary to confirm this.

A few general comments: Insulation is generally determined by trapped dead air volume, so down insulation of micro fiber fill are usually very good. The advantage of wool is that it still insulates fairly well when wet, whereas most other materials do not.. The best material for hats in cold weather is usually animal fur, particularly from animals that live invery cold climates. I cannot help with times to develop hypothermia under various conditions. It depends too much on wind, temperature, and whether the person stays dry, as well as metablolism and thickness of insulation.

Perhaps others can provide better answers.

Best regards.

Barrett L. Tomlinson

Hi,

I strongly recommend figuring out what setting to do this in. Projects involving temperature are susceptible to outside variability. Changes in temperature are directly affected by the surrounding temperature, according to Newton's Law of Cooling (google it for more info if you are curious, but it may not be of significance to this project).

Definitely take note of the surrounding room temperature to see it is constant for each experiment.