Classroom Questions

Questions for “‘Frozen smoke’ could protect electronics from annoying static”

a macro photo of a circuit board

A porous new material can help shield electronic circuits and computer chips from disruption by motors and more, a new study shows. Good-bye Faraday cages?

Wiyada Arunwaikit/iStock/Getty Images Plus

By Science News Explores

To accompany “‘Frozen smoke’ could protect electronics from annoying static”

SCIENCE

Before Reading:

1.  What are three of the lightest-weight materials you can think of?

2.  Why are lightweight materials often used as insulation?

During Reading:

1.  What is a Faraday cage and what is it used for?

2.  Why are motors an especially vexing source of electromagnetic interference?

3.  What is an aerogel and why was it created to protect electronics?

4.  What did Gustav Nyström’s team add to its aerogel to make it able to conduct electricity?

5.  What happens to potentially disruptive electromagnetic waves when they encounter the aerogel? How would this solve the problem of electromagnetic interference?

6.  In tests, how was the best performing aerogel as a shield against electromagnetic interference?

After Reading:

1.  Aerogels, sometimes called “solid smoke” are used for a host of purposes. For instance, they can catch comet dust, insulate the Mars rovers from extreme temperatures or hold the fuel pellets used in fusion-science experiments. They also can insulate materials from electric currents. What’s a new use that you would like to see aerogels developed for?