Question

thermal insulators

• rubber
• wood
• plastic
• fiberglass
• foam

thermal conductors

• metal
• ceramic
• concrete
• graphite
• diamond

you want to stop a hot pan from burning your countertop. what would be a good material to place between the two?
graphite
fiberglass
none of these would be good
ceramic

Explanation:

To stop the hot pan from burning the countertop, we need a thermal insulator (materials that don't conduct heat well). From the table, thermal insulators include Rubber, Wood, Plastic, Fiberglass, Foam. Thermal conductors (which conduct heat) include Metal, Ceramic, Concrete, Graphite, Diamond. Graphite and Ceramic are thermal conductors, so they would transfer heat and not help. Fiberglass is a thermal insulator, so it would prevent heat transfer from the pan to the countertop.

Answer:

Fiberglass