How to Make a Solar Hot Dog Cooker with Students

What you are going to be learning today is a solar hot dog cooker. The primary material that will be needed for this experiment is a cardboard box. Please note that other materials will be needed as well but this is the major one on which others will be used on.

Here are the Materials that You Need

Get a cardboard box
Get a posterboard
Get tin foil
Once you have gotten these materials ready that is when you can start making your own solar hot dog cooker.

Now Just Follow these Steps

Step 1
Your box should be long and narrow. Note that the longer your box is the more heat it will be able to retain. Your foal point should be between 5inch and 10inch and then you can have a parabolic curve designed. You can see the curve from the diagram below.

It is possible for you to make use of a single template for all the cookers. Now you will need to have the curve in the opening end of the box traced out. Make sure it is straight.

Step 2
Now use a utility knife to have the parts that you have traced cut out.  See the picture below.

After doing this, you will need to replace the part that you have removed with a posterboard. Please make sure that it is the exact measurement. Use a tape to have the posterboard attached to the box. You can start from the middle and then move to the edge of the cardboard box.

Step 3
Now you will need to have the curve covered with glue (please note white glue) and then have the aluminum foil applied on the outside of the box. The foil should be very smooth for the best results so don’t fold or have it squeezed. You can begin this process from the middle and then gradually move to the corners (edges).

Step 4
Get two cardboard scraps and tape them against the edge of the box. You will need to have the focal point tested using the sun. Just look out for the place where there is the light concentration. Or simply put where light is shinning more. That is the place where your skewer will be position so bore your hole there. Once you put your skewer your solar hot dog is ready.