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Heat (Thermodynamics) Science Fair Project

Car Sunshade Types and Dashboard Temperature

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Car Sunshade Types and Dashboard Temperature | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Can a sunshade really keep your car cool on a hot day? A car parked in direct sunlight can reach extreme dashboard temperatures. Different sunshade materials may block that heat by different amounts. You park three identical cars in the sun. One gets no sunshade. One gets a reflective foam sunshade. The third gets a reflective bubble sunshade. You measure each dashboard temperature every two hours from 8 AM to 6 PM. The reflective bubble sunshade keeps the dashboard coolest throughout the day.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the reflective bubble sunshade will be the most effective cooling.

Method & Materials

You will inspect three cars to make sure they are the same make and model, interior and color. Then you will park the cars directly under the sun and measure the temperatures on the dashboards every two hours. On the second day, you will fit one car with a reflective bubble sunshade, one with a reflective foam sunshade, and leave one with no sunshade.
You will need three cars of the same make and model, interior and color, one reflective bubble sunshade, one reflective foam sunshade, and one infrared thermometer.

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Results

The experiment showed that the car with the reflective bubble sunshade had the lowest cabin temperature. This proves that sunshades are effective in blocking the sun's rays from entering the car and reducing the build up of temperature in the car.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows how sunshades can be used to reduce the temperature in a car on a hot day. It also shows how different types of sunshades can be compared to see which one is the most effective.

Also Consider

Variations of this experiment could include using cars with tinted glass or cars with different colors and sunshades.

Full project details

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

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