Internal Global Combustion Warming Engine

Overview

Objectives/Goals The purpose of my science project is to find out if the residual heat produced by the internal combustion engine of the car could be a major contributor to global warming. If this were to be true, should we as a nation and world find a more eco-friendly means of transportation, such as a hybrid car or better carpooling? Methods/Materials I have obtained the six most common kinds of cars on the road today, a large and midsized SUV, a sports car, a small sedan, a compact car, and a hybrid. These cars were driven for fifteen minutes on a designated loop and then parked in a controlled area to record the minimum and maximum temperature reached. This test was repeated three times for each vehicle. Once these temperatures were recorded, I found the differences, and calculated averages for each car and all the cars combined. Results The average temperature difference of all the cars combined was 4.1°F. I calculated the volume of the controlled test area and converted it into cubic kilometers so that I could relate it to the cubic kilometers of earth's atmosphere (4.2 billion cubic kilometers). I then devised two methods to find out how many "control areas" fit in earth's atmosphere to determine the percentage of the 4.1°F increase. Conclusions/Discussion The conclusion of my science project is that the residual heat given off by the car after fifteen minutes of driving hardly makes a difference to the atmosphere at all. However, I did come to a result in that even though the heat increase was minimal, it was still a recordable number.

Awards (1)

• Honorable Mention

Competition history

• CSEF 2012 Environmental Science · Entry J1121

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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