Solar Hot Dog Cooker
Matt Kesich
Introduction
We used http://explorelearning.com
to create our parabola to fit into the
box.
 Our goal was to create a successful
parabolic solar cooker out of simple
materials such as cardboard and a
reflective material.

How it Works
The sunlight and heat is reflected off
the Mylar, converging on the focus.
 The skewer is placed through the
focus so most of the heat will be
transferred to the food, thus allowing
it to cook much more rapidly.

Equation/Method
We used Method 2, which allowed us
to use one of the two corner points
of the box and the vertex, allowing
us to not guess and check, but get it
right the first time.
 The equation we used was derived
from y= ¼p(x-h)²+k. The formula to
create our parabola was 23=¼p(022)²+1. The final equation of the line
was y=0.05x²-2.00x+23.00.

Finding the Vertex and Focus
We found the
vertex by simply
selecting where
we wanted it to
be located. We did
not want it to be too
high or too low, so
we picked one
towards the bottom
but not all the way down.

Materials

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Cardboard Box
Wooden Skewers
Compass
Scissors
Protractor

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Mylar
Poster Board
Ruler
String
Graph Paper
Building the Box
Dimensions:
 Length: 44 cm
 Width: 28.5 cm
 Height: 23 cm


First, we had to graph the points of the
parabola onto the box so we would be able
to see where to put the skewers.
We started with the two corner points,
(0,23) and (44,23), as well as the vertex,
(22, 3.5).
Building Cont.
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After we graphed the points on both sides
of the box, we punctured holes with the
compass and ran the skewers through
both sides of the box.
Then, we covered the poster board with
Mylar and placed it onto the skewers,
forming a parabola.
Finally, we found the focus and placed a
skewer through it, which is where the food
would be cooking.
Angle of Elevation and the Sun

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We needed to figure out the elevation of
the sun since we were only able to cook in
the morning.
We used the website
http://www.srrb.noaa.gov/highlights/sunri
se/azel.html to find the exact angle of
elevation of the sun.
We then angled the box using a protractor
and had the most direct amount of
sunlight entering the box and converging
on the focus.
Ideal/Poor Conditions for Solar
Cooking
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The most ideal place to use solar cookers
is at the equator since most of the sun’s
rays are hitting at that location.
The least ideal place would be at the two
poles since the least amount of sunlight is
hitting there.
Ideally, a day with no clouds would be the
best, and the use of solar cookers is
useless if it is cloudy and there is no
sunlight.
Other Uses of Solar Paraboloids
Satellite Dishes for
TV/Internet/Radio/etc.
 Communications through
space

Was it Successful?

Our box that we built was successful
because all of the sunlight converged
on the focus where it was supposed
to, working perfectly as planned.