Project-based learning has been shown to be an effective pedagogical strategy that motivates students and thus promotes learning. In this article we describe a project-based unit centered on the physics of solar cookers (Fig. 1 and 3). Our goal was to elevate the solar cooker from a summer camp activity to a college-level project that could be used to teach thermodynamics in a more engaging way. Solar cookers are used by people in developing countries as an alternative to wood fires and dangerous kerosene stoves, which motivates students to study the thermodynamics of solar cookers. In this unit, students engage in the engineering design process by designing, building, and testing a solar cooker. To do this, the students learn about the physics necessary to understand how the solar cookers absorb and lose energy, including heat transfer mechanisms, blackbody radiation, reflection, and the greenhouse effect.

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The rubric for the final report can be found in the online appendix, https://doi.org/10.1119/1.5080574 under the Supplemental tab. Student handouts for all activities in this unit are available by emailing the authors.
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Depending on the level of the course, kinetic theory could also be introduced at this point. We have done this with the calculus-based class, but will not give details here due to space constraints.
11.
If wireless temperature sensors are available, it would be interesting to record the temperature curve for the entire test period. We do not have access to this technology, so temperature measurements are made periodically during the test.

Supplementary Material

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