ST Alpha - "where's nubby? I need one expert's opinion on a matter of physics. say you have three blankets, a thin one, a medium one, and a thick one." (Reading a Post)

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where's nubby? I need one expert's opinion on a matter of physics. say you have three blankets, a thin one, a medium one, and a thick one.

Posted by mafic Jun 26 '12, 14:44

assume that thickness correlates directly with how good an insulator they are. what order do you want them in to keep yourself the warmest? body-thin-medium-thick, or body-thick-medium-thin?

it's cold at night in camp, and there was a debate last night.

Responses:

other variations to consider: tightness of the weave, thick blankets tend to be a loose weave, thin ones have a tighter weave, this becomes important - zeitgeist Jun 26, 17:40
with the temperature last night I think you want more than blankets -- nm - Karl_S Jun 26, 16:13
tell the female councelors body heat is better -- nm - peglegpete Jun 26, 15:07 6
- And it would be better for the environment -- nm - con_carne Jun 26, 15:33
- heh, not that kind of camp. besides (non-geologist) women in exploration tend to be... rough. -- nm - mafic Jun 26, 15:12 3
  - Any port in a storm. -- nm - nubby Jun 26, 15:14 2
    - and... um... perhaps not welcoming of male company. at least in this camp. - mafic Jun 26, 15:30
    - slut -- nm - zork Jun 26, 15:16
- Sincerely. -- nm - nubby Jun 26, 15:09
spoiler - nubby Jun 26, 15:04 2
- see below -- nm - spamlet Jun 26, 15:16
- good to know, but when has that ever stopped an argument? -- nm - mafic Jun 26, 15:06
I would think that all three layers would trap the same ammount of heat regardless of order. However in terms of utility - musubi Jun 26, 14:55 6
- I disagree with this assumption. there's a heat source on one side. -- nm - loosilu Jun 26, 15:02 5
  - So? Heat retention and insulation still work the same. (nm) - musubi Jun 26, 15:03 4
    - what about convection? you would want the wind blocking layer on the outside. -- nm - loosilu Jun 26, 15:03 3
      - yeah, that's the important factor -- nm - zeitgeist Jun 26, 17:54
      - what wind blocking? you are changing the parameters. -- nm - zork Jun 26, 15:06
      - There is no difference if we're talking about blankets that you're lying under. The assumptions mafic made - musubi Jun 26, 15:06
if directly proportionate, it wouldn't matter - zork Jun 26, 14:51 5
- not true ... the air might move differently. -- nm - loosilu Jun 26, 14:54 4
  - you have three layers of rigid foam insulation to attach to your house. do you really think it matters what order you put them on? the r-factor is pro - zork Jun 26, 14:59 3
    - that's not the same as a moving body. -- nm - loosilu Jun 26, 15:00 2
      - If layering blankets on yourself, you're probably not moving that much. (nm) - musubi Jun 26, 15:02 1
        
        aside from the shivering -- nm - Beryllium Jun 26, 17:00
thin to thick -- nm - CQ Jun 26, 14:46 15
- this is what I think. that's how clothes are layered. -- nm - loosilu Jun 26, 14:48 13
  - this is what I do, and it seems like common sense, but I want the math. -- nm - mafic Jun 26, 14:52 7
    - the answer may be in here. I'm still reading it. -- (link) - loosilu Jun 26, 15:01 5
      - oh wow. they say thick layer inside is best. See Figure 3. - loosilu Jun 26, 15:07 4
        
        I don't think their "shells" are comparable to the blankets that mafic is asking about. - musubi Jun 26, 15:19 1
        
        ah, ok. -- nm - loosilu Jun 26, 15:27
        
        that does not fit with mafic's initial parameters. the layers in that experiment have different insulation factors. -- nm - zork Jun 26, 15:16 1
        
        you're right. funn thing though, I realized I use their method for cross country skiing. Thick layers below, and a thin shell on top. -- nm - loosilu Jun 26, 15:28
    - math shmath -- nm - CQ Jun 26, 14:57
  - that's because you can move more easily that way, not so much the insulating factor, IMO. -- nm - zork Jun 26, 14:52 4
    - but bedding is that way too. -- nm - loosilu Jun 26, 14:54 3
      - Same reason. You want to take off the heavy blanket, but not the light one? Pretty hard if the heavy is under the thin. (nm) - musubi Jun 26, 14:58 1
        
        unless you want to micro-manage the temperature then the thin should go on top -- nm - zork Jun 26, 15:00
      - because it is easier to launder sheets than blankets. -- nm - zork Jun 26, 14:55
- we've had this debate too, heh. we came to this conclusion. -- nm - CQ Jun 26, 14:47

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where's nubby? I need one expert's opinion on a matter of physics. say you have three blankets, a thin one, a medium one, and a thick one.

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