How Air Pockets Protect a Package
A ceramic mug can travel a long way inside a cardboard box. Along the route, the box may slide, bump against other packages, or land with a thump. How can a thin sheet filled with air help protect something so breakable?
The answer is in the small, sealed pockets that give bubble wrap its bumpy surface. Each pocket traps air between layers of plastic. When a force presses on a pocket, the plastic bends and the air inside is squeezed into a smaller space. The pocket pushes back, then usually returns toward its original shape when the pressure is removed.
This ability to compress, or squeeze down, makes the material useful as a cushion. Imagine a wrapped mug inside a box that is set down hard. Without cushioning, the mug could hit the bottom of the box and stop suddenly. With cushioning underneath, the air pockets squash as the mug presses against them. This gives the mug a little more distance and time to slow down, reducing the force of the impact.
- ceramic:
- Made from clay that has been shaped and hardened by heat.
- sealed:
- Closed tightly so the contents stay inside.
- impact:
- A collision, or hit, between objects.
- flexible:
- Able to bend without breaking easily.
- vulnerable:
- Easily harmed or damaged.
- intact:
- Whole and not damaged.
- disposal:
- The act of getting rid of something.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1How do sealed air pockets help a mug slow down during an impact?
- 2Why can a flexible sheet protect more than one side of a mug?
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About this informational passage for Upper Elementary
“How Air Pockets Protect a Package” is a informational reading passage about Protective Packaging, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (471 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.