Boxi Learn › Science › Stage 2 · Models and Patterns
Can a coat keep ice cold?
SCI-3 Energy changes form but is never made or lostSCI-5 Change one thing, watch one thingX-1 Guess, then check
What many people think
A coat is warm by itself, so wrapping ice in a coat will make it melt faster.
The idea
A coat does not make heat; it slows heat moving across it — so it keeps a warm body warm and a cold ice cube cold.
Explain it
Your friend says: “Don’t put the ice in a coat, the coat will warm it up!” Use the words “heat flows” and “slows down” to explain why the ice in the coat lasts longer, and why the same coat keeps you warm in winter.
Try at home
Take two ice cubes the same size. Put one on a plate; wrap the other in a wool scarf or sock on another plate. Check every 15 minutes which is smaller. If you have a thermometer, push it into a folded coat that has been in the room for an hour: it reads room temperature.