Car Temperature Assignment

This assignment would be a neat one to implement in the classroom because it gets students thinking about the world around them scientifically. Recording the temperature in your car helps you see how certain variables can affect the temperature!

Assignment Outline:

Car Temperature Science

Testable Question: How hot does the inside of a car get if parked in the sun with the
windows up on a hot, sunny day?

Connections to ALCOS:
• K.2 Identify the sun as Earth’s source of light and heat.
• K.9 Identify seasons of the year….seasonal changes.
• 1.1 Select appropriate tools and technological resources needed to gather, analyze,
and interpret data.
• 1.8 Recognize daily changes in weather….instruments used….recording data.
• 2.3 Recognize that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object.
• 2.10 Identify the impact of weather on…..and society.
• 3.3 Describe ways energy from the sun is used.
• 3.14 Describe the position of Earth, the moon, and the sun during the course of a
day or month.
• 4.3 Recognize how light interacts with transparent, translucent, and opaque
materials.
• 5.4 Describe forms of energy, including…heat, light…..solar energy……transfer
of energy…..
• 6.8 Describe how Earth’s rotation, axial tilt, and distance from the equator cause
variations in the heating and cooling of various locations on Earth.

Procedures:
• Obtain two thermometers from the instructor. One thermometer should have an
attached string so that it can hang from your rear view mirror.
• Make a concerted effort to park your vehicle in sunny locations during the
investigation period. Each time you park your car, hang one thermometer from the
rear view mirror (air temperature) and place the other thermometer on your dash
(surface temperature).
• As we are seeking maximum temperatures, check your thermometers and record
the air and surface temperatures during those days/times when your car is in direct
sunlight.
• WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING, PLACE THE THERMOMETERS IN A SECURE
LOCATION WHERE THEY WILL NOT SLIDE ON SURFACES OR
OTHERWISE BE DAMGED. The glove box is normally a good location.
• Obtain temperature measurements on at least four different hot, sunny days.
• In addition to the temperature measurements, test at least one “does it get hot
enough to” question and record your results. Be sure to do this on a hot, sunny
day.

What to Submit:
• Brief description of your vehicle, including features that could impact result.
• Data tables of your air temperature and surface temperature results (two tables).
The data table should include date/time information for each temperature


Here are my results!

Day	Time	Thermometer hanging in rearview mirror	Thermometer under driver’s seat
2/25 Parked in the sun	3:04 pm	94	46
2/26 Parked in the sun Cold day	10:00 am	48	40
2/27 Parked in the sun	1:45 pm	89	42
2/28 Parked in the sun Fairly cold day	3:03 pm	89	52
3/1 Parked in the sun	1:10 pm	92	54
3/2 Parked in the sun	3:30 pm	98	60
3/3 Parked in the sun Cold and cloudy	12:40 pm	40	40

·         Vehicle: White car with tan leather seats. Tan interior walls.

·         The two different temperatures measured were very different. I believe the reason for this was that the thermometer in the rearview window of the car was constantly exposed to the sun. The light from the sun heated the thermometer up substantially more than the thermometer under the seat (which stayed very cool.) However, the few times I measured the thermometer when the sun was not shining, both thermometers were about the same if not exactly the same.

·         Two testable questions:

o   Why is the thermometer hotter in hanging in the rearview mirror than the thermometer under the seat?

o   Is that thermometer always hotter than the thermometer under the seat?

·         It is hot enough to:

o    Melt butter

o   Melt chocolate

·         There could be student’s discussions about heat safety using the car temp project and how to prevent dangerous car heat situations. (i.e. don’t sit in a hot car for too long, don’t leave animals in the car, and don’t leave food or perishables in the car.)