HERE'S HOW
Put a few ice cubes into a polystyrene foam cup; cover it with a lid. Place the same number of ice cubes in a paper cup. Check the ice after one hour. The ice in the polystyrene cup stays frozen longer.
Now try using hot water instead of ice. The water in the polystyrene cup stays warm longer.
WHY?
Polystyrene insulates. It is one of many materials used to insulate spacecraft, or protect them from freezing or burning up in the extreme temperatures of outer space.
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Illustration by Valerie Robbins/Buttercup Studios
Text by Julie Vosburgh Agnone
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