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Heat (Thermodynamics) Science Fair Project

Sunshades and Car Cabin Temperature

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Sunshades and Car Cabin Temperature | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
How much cooler does a car stay with a sunshade on the windshield? On a hot day, a dashboard can reach over 75 degrees Celsius without any shade. You park three identical cars in the sun. One has no sunshade. One has a non-reflective sunshade. The third has a reflective sunshade. Every two hours, you check the temperature at three spots inside each car. After 10 hours, you compare which setup kept the cabin coolest.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that cars with reflective sunshades have the lowest temperature inside the car.

Method & Materials

You will park three cars of the same make and model in the sun, one with no sunshade, one with a non-reflective sunshade, and one with a reflective sunshade. You will measure the temperature inside the cars over 10 hours using an infrared thermometer.
You will need three cars of the same make and model, one non-reflective sunshade, one reflective sunshade, and an infrared thermometer.

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Results

The results showed that the car with the reflective sunshade had the lowest cabin temperature, followed by the car with the non-reflective sunshade. The car without a sunshade had a temperature that was higher than the other cars.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows how reflective sunshades can make a big difference in the temperature inside a car.

Also Consider

Variations: What would happen if the experiment were to be repeated by using cars with tinted glass? The experiment can also be repeated by using cars with different colors and sunshades.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

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