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Robert R. J. Maier
Penicuik, Midlothian, UK
This depends in part on the shape of the object. If it is something with a smooth surface, such as a book or bottle, I would wrap it with the bubbles facing outwards on the first layer, followed by a second layer of bubbles facing inwards. For any other object, it is bubbles facing inwards on all layers.
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If an antimatter meteor hit the sun, the resulting explosion would probably destroy all life on Earth
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Tim McCulloch
Sydney, Australia
My guess is the bubbles should face the object being wrapped. That way, the flat plastic between the bubbles is held away from the surface of the object, which might help if something with an acute corner happens to hit between the bubbles. Besides, I just feel like it would be more comforting to be wrapped in the bubbly surface than the flat one. The question is moot, of course, if you choose cornstarch packing and eschew the plastic bubble wrap.
Mike Follows
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, UK
My hunch is that having the smooth side on the outside would make it easier to slide a bubble-wrapped object into a packet, since bubbles on the outside might snag. But I seriously doubt that whether the bubbles are on the inside or outside makes a significant difference to the level of protection.
If the bubble wrap had no outer covering, however, having the bubbles on the inside might provide slightly better thermal insulation, as air would be trapped both inside the bubbles and between the wrap and the object.
In the absence of an experiment worthy of consideration by the Ig Nobel prize committee, this might simply join the list of “binary preferences”, alongside Marmite, crunchy versus smooth peanut butter, and whether the loose end of a toilet roll should hang closer to or further from the wall.
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