thermal insulation - 2026 ACF Regionals

Packet H: Tossup 4

Cylindrical structures used for this purpose only properly function if their radius exceeds a critical radius equal to k over h. Structures like junctions act as (10[1])“bridges” that impede this purpose by having high psi-value. This purpose is the primary reason why a certain material may be “double-glazed” or “low e.” (10[4]-5[1])Materials (-5[1])used (10[1])for (10[1])this purpose (10[1])are rated by their R-value, (10[3]-5[1])which is (10[3])additive (10[5]-5[1])for (10[1])materials (10[1]-5[2])layers stacked on (10[1])top of each other. (10[3])Materials (-5[1])used (10[1])for this purpose (-5[1])are formed (10[1])by spinning them like cotton candy (10[1])to create large (10[2])pockets (10[3])that trap (10[1])air. (10[3]-5[1])The (10[2])component (10[2]-5[1])of the (10[1])building (10[2])envelope (10[3])used for this purpose is typically (10[1])assessed (10[1])for using an infrared camera. (10[2])For 10 points, (10[2])fiberglass (10[2])wool is used in buildings (10[4])for what (10[1])purpose (10[3])due (10[1])to its low thermal conductivity? ■END■ (10[7]0[1])

ANSWER: thermal insulation [or building insulation; or word forms like thermal insulators; accept answers referring to retaining heat or preventing heat loss; prompt on answers referring to being energy efficient or minimizing energy usage or expenditure by asking “by performing what specific function?”; prompt on answers referring to reducing the amount of heating or air conditioning or HVAC necessary by asking “by performing what specific function?”; prompt on answers referring to temperature control or maintaining the temperature by asking “by doing what?”; prompt on efficiency; reject “heating” or answers referring to producing or providing or generating heat; reject answers specifying electrical insulation]

<GC, Physics> | Packet H - Yale A, Ohio State C, Illinois C, Virginia Tech B, MIT A

= Average correct buzzpoint

Back to tossups

Buzzes

Player	Team	Opponent	Buzzpoint	Value
Akshar Goyal	Illinois A	Northwestern D	25	10
Michael Du	Waterloo A	Toronto B	50	10
Wyatt Johnson	CWRU B	Michigan State	50	10
Annika Larson	Claremont	Washington B	50	10
Ted Harrison	Edinburgh B	Montpellier	50	-5
Kai Madgwick	Manchester	Oxford A	50	10
Andrew Nucci	UCLA B	UCLA A	51	-5
Charles Hang	WashU A	Alabama A	52	10
Alex Akridge	Indiana A	Indiana B	53	10
Nikolas Polsinelli	Chicago A	Northwestern B	55	10
Sam Konkel	Chicago C	Notre Dame A	60	10
Davin Sivertson	Alabama B	WashU B	60	-5
Oscar Despard	Cambridge A	Bristol	60	10
Danny Fisher	Warwick B	Imperial C	60	10
Ian Theysmeyer	Queen's	UBC A	62	10
Ethen Sun	Toronto D	Western A	62	10
Jiping Fang	Illinois B	Notre Dame B	62	10
Vivian Malouf	Berkeley A	Stanford B	63	10
Colin Veevers	Ottawa	McMaster A	63	10
Todd Maslyk	Michigan A	Ohio State A	63	10
Yash Tiwari	Minnesota A	Iowa State	63	10
Oliver West	Cambridge C	Southampton B	63	10
Aisling Skeet	Durham	Birmingham	63	-5
Arunn Sankar	Georgia Tech A	Missouri B	64	10
Matthew Andersen	Florida B	Florida C	65	-5
Mats Miller	Chicago D	Purdue A	65	10
Aiden Bang	Johns Hopkins B	Georgetown	65	-5
Tianyu Xu	Georgia Tech B	Tennessee A	68	10
Dawson Teu	Waterloo B	Toronto E	72	10
Connor Blake	Chicago B	Indiana C	72	10
Daniel Craig	Rutgers B	Catholic	72	10
George Matsumura	Washington A	Carleton College	73	-5
Kevin Peng	Cornell A	RIT	74	10
Jason Qin	Columbia A	NYU B	77	-5
Yoyo Liu	UBC B	Guelph	79	10
Charlie Lowman	Imperial A	Edinburgh A	85	10
Nathan Long	Imperial B	LSE	88	10
Alan Hughes	UCL	Southampton A	88	10
Dexter Hine	Simon Fraser	Brock	89	10
Freddie Lancett	Cardiff	City St. George's	89	10
Paige Crawley	Oxford B	Oxford C	89	10
Chris Levesley	Warwick A	Cambridge B	91	10
Dennis Yang	Michigan B	Pittsburgh	92	10
Renita Tang	NYU C	Johns Hopkins A	92	10
Ryan Rosenberg	NYU A	Vassar	92	10
Robert Chen	Rochester	Binghamton A	92	-5
Michał Gerasimiuk	Stanford A	Berkeley D	93	10
Derek Li	Cornell C	Binghamton B	93	10
Thomas Tibbetts	Central Florida C	Florida A	94	-5
Bryce Cruise	Texas A	Texas B	94	10
Nathan Woolery	Louisville B	Georgia Tech D	94	10
Skand Parvatikar	Arizona State	UCSD A	96	10
Abby Smith	Berkeley C	Berkeley B	97	10
Franklin Wu	Toronto C	Western C	97	10
Peyton Legg	Central Florida B	Central Florida A	98	10
Sarah Yates	Vanderbilt B	Tennessee B	98	10
Sim Spurrier	Swarthmore	Maryland A	98	10
Yash Modi	Western B	Toronto F	104	10
Scott Sibley	UC Irvine	UCSD C	105	10
Jake Meltzer	CWRU A	Michigan C	110	10
Zachary Joseph	Columbia B	Rutgers A	110	10
Victor Xu	Toronto G	McGill B	113	10
Xavier Bornhorst	Maryland B	Columbia C	113	10
Nicolaus Derikx	Carleton University	McGill A	114	10
Charles Johnson	Texas A&M A	Murray State A	114	10
Nick Machin	UCLA A	UCLA B	119	10
Winston Zuo	UC Santa Barbara	UCSD B	119	10
David Nickel	Purdue B	Chicago E	119	10
Pranaav Senthilkumar	Cornell B	Penn State	119	10
Graham Cope	Georgia Tech C	Bruin	121	10
Sophie Lyman	WashU B	Alabama B	122	10
Mary Kate Vance	Louisville A	Kentucky	122	10
Ben Tibbles	Sewanee	Mississipi State	122	10
Ariyan Miah	Binghamton A	Rochester	123	10
Ishan Joshi	Toronto Metropolitan	McMaster B	129	10
June Miller	Florida A	Central Florida C	129	10
Adam Jarvis	Florida C	Florida B	129	10
Zoe Wang	Carleton College	Washington A	129	10
Mikey Brown	Birmingham	Durham	129	10
Krishna Girish	Montpellier	Edinburgh B	129	10
Cole Hartung	Georgetown	Johns Hopkins B	129	10
Jacob Hardin-Bernhardt	NYU B	Columbia A	129	0

Summary

Tournament	Edition	Match	Heard	Conv. %	Neg %	Avg. Buzz
California (North)	Main Site	✓	3	100%	0%	84.33
California (South)	Main Site	✓	4	100%	25%	109.75
Canada	Main Site	✓	12	100%	0%	86.17
Florida	Main Site	✓	3	100%	67%	118.67
Great Lakes	Main Site	✓	4	100%	0%	78.75
Midwest	Main Site	✓	8	100%	0%	63.88
Overflow	Main Site	✓	4	100%	25%	76.50
South Central	Main Site	✓	2	100%	0%	104.00
Southeast	Main Site	✓	8	100%	13%	99.88
UK	Main Site	✓	12	100%	17%	85.08
Upper Mid-Atlantic	Main Site	✓	8	88%	25%	100.86
Upstate NY	Main Site	✓	4	100%	25%	102.25