A commercial deep-sea diver wears a specialized drysuit inflated with argon gas over a dark-coloured insulating undergarment to work in near-freezing arctic waters.
During a safety test in a cold-water simulation chamber, a thermal infrared camera is used to image the diver. In the resulting thermal image:
Knowing that darker shades represent lower temperatures, discuss what information this thermal image gives about the temperatures of these different regions.
The undergarment worn beneath the drysuit is composed of dense, fine synthetic microfibres that trap a layer of argon gas.
Explain how this structure reduces thermal energy loss by conduction and convection.
The diver's undergarment is dark in colour, while the inner surface of the outer drysuit is lined with a highly reflective, shiny silver material. Explain how this combination reduces the overall rate of thermal energy loss from the diver's body.
36 exam-style questions on Edexcel IGCSE Physics Energy transfers. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.