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Chapter 13: Problem 19

In winter, why does your house lose less energy if you keep the curtains closed?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Closing curtains reduces heat loss by limiting convection and radiation.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Heat Transfer

Heat can be lost from your house through conduction, convection, and radiation. Windows are a major source of heat loss due to their lower insulation compared to walls. Heat will naturally flow from warm areas, inside your house, to the cooler outside environment.
02

Role of Curtains

Curtains add an additional barrier between the inside of your house and the outside environment. When closed, they reduce the amount of heat that escapes through the windows.
03

Convection Reduction

Closed curtains limit the flow of air between the window surface and the rest of the room. This reduces convection currents that can carry heat away from the warmer interior.
04

Radiation Blocking

Curtains are also effective at blocking heat loss through radiation. They reflect and absorb some of the thermal radiation trying to pass through the window, retaining warmth inside the room.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Conduction
Conduction is one of the primary mechanisms of heat transfer. It occurs when heat moves through a material or between materials in contact, from a region of higher temperature to a region of lower temperature. In simpler terms, it's like a game of 'telephone' where molecules pass their energy to neighboring molecules. When you keep the curtains closed, they add an extra layer of insulation.
  • This additional layer slows down the conduction process.
  • The curtain fabric has poor thermal conductivity compared to glass, which makes it better at preventing heat flow.
Closing your curtains acts as a 'heat trap', reducing the rate at which heat conducts from the warm, cozy room to the cold outdoors, especially through glass windows.
Convection
Convection is the process where heat is transferred by the movement of fluids, such as air or water. This happens through the forming of convection currents. When the curtains are open, the warm air near the window gets cooler, becomes denser, and sinks down, creating a convection current. As the warm air escapes, your room loses heat.
  • By closing the curtains, you break this cycle of moving air.
  • Closed curtains prevent air around the window from moving freely, limiting the formation of convection currents.
This means that the warm air stays in the room longer, preventing heat loss through convection.
Radiation
Radiation is heat transfer in the form of electromagnetic waves. Unlike conduction and convection, it doesn't require a medium to travel through. Think of radiation as the warmth you feel when sitting by a window with sunlight streaming through. Similarly, thermal radiation can travel through your windows and out into the cold, reducing the warmth in your room.
  • Closing the curtains helps block this pathway for heat loss.
  • The curtain material can reflect some of the thermal radiation back into the room.
  • By absorbing and emitting less thermal energy, the curtains ensure more warmth stays where you want it.
By understanding radiation, you can see how curtains play a crucial role in keeping your home cozy by reducing energy loss.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

A \(4.5-\mathrm{cm}\) -thick ice sheet covers a lake in early spring. The ice density is \(910 \mathrm{~kg} / \mathrm{m}^{3}\). If the spring sun radiates an average of \(150 \mathrm{~W} / \mathrm{m}^{2}\) onto the ice, how much time will it take to melt all the ice?

An electric water heater holds \(189 \mathrm{~L}\). If electricity costs \(\$ 0.12\) per \(\mathrm{kWh}\), how much does it cost to raise the water temperature from \(10^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) to \(60^{\circ} \mathrm{C} ?\)

On rare occasions when subfreezing temperatures are predicted, Florida citrus farmers sometimes spray water on the fruit. How does this help protect the fruit?

A star with temperature \(7200 \mathrm{~K}\) has radius \(1.62 \times 10^{9} \mathrm{~m}\). Treating the star as a blackbody, at what rate does it radiate energy? (a) \(5 \times 10^{27} \mathrm{~W}\) (b) \(8 \times 10^{27} \mathrm{~W}\) (c) \(2 \times 10^{28} \mathrm{~W}\) (d) \(6 \times\) \(10^{28} \mathrm{~W}\)

The electric heater in a tea kettle delivers \(1250 \mathrm{~W}\) to the water. If the kettle contains \(1.0 \mathrm{~L}\) of water initially at room temperature \(\left(20^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\right),\) what's the time until the water begins boiling?
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