Summary
Students explore the methods engineers have devised for harnessing sunlight to generate power. First, they investigate heat transfer and heat storage through the construction, testing and use of a solar oven. With a lesson focused on photovoltaic cells, students learn the concepts of energy conversion, conservation of energy, current and voltage. By constructing model solar powered cars, students see these conceptual ideas manifested in modern technology. Furthermore, the solar car project provides opportunities to explore a number of other topics, such as gear ratios and simple mechanics. Both of these design and construction projects are examples of engineering design.Engineering Connection
Designing and building solar cars and solar ovens are examples of engineering projects that demonstrate to students how engineers apply their brains and imaginations to make an impact on the world through innovative designs.
Unit Overview
Lesson 1, Using Heat from the Sun and associated activity Cooking with the Sun - Creating a Solar Oven: The three primary modes of energy transfer—conduction, convection and radiation—are discussed in the context of engineers exploiting heat from the sun. Then students create and use solar ovens.
Lesson 2, From Sunlight to Electric Current and associated activity Racing with the Sun - Creating a Solar Car: Students learn how the sun's energy can be used to produce electricity. Then they create and race model solar cars.
Educational Standards
Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science,
technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards.
All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN),
a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org).
In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g., by state; within source by type; e.g., science or mathematics;
within type by subtype, then by grade, etc.
Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards.
All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN), a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org).
In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g., by state; within source by type; e.g., science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc.
See individual lessons and activities for standards alignment.
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- Day 1: Using Heat from the Sun lesson
- Day 2-6: Cooking with the Sun - Creating a Solar Oven activity
- Day 7: From Sunlight to Electric Current lesson
- Day 8-10: Racing with the Sun - Creating a Solar Car activity
More Curriculum Like This
Students discuss where energy comes from, including sources such as fossil fuels, nuclear and renewable technologies such as solar energy. After this initial exploration, students investigate the three main types of heat transfer: convection, conduction and radiation. Students learn how properties d...
Students learn how the sun can be used for energy. They learn about passive solar heating, lighting and cooking, and active solar engineering technologies (such as photovoltaic arrays and concentrating mirrors) that generate electricity.
Copyright
© 2013 by Regents of the University of Colorado; original © 2004 Duke UniversityContributors
Roni Prucz; Rahmin Sarabi; Lauren PowellSupporting Program
Techtronics Program, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke UniversityAcknowledgements
This content was developed by the MUSIC (Math Understanding through Science Integrated with Curriculum) Program in the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University under National Science Foundation GK-12 grant no. DGE 0338262. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the NSF, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.
Last modified: June 6, 2017
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