Out of Sight! Testing Car Color Visibility in Fog

Overview

Objectives/Goals The purpose of my project is to determine which car color is best seen in fog. I tested these eleven different car colors: key lime, yellow, white, silver, orange, tan, red, brown, blue, green, and black. My hypothesis stated that red would be the most visible car color in fog. Methods/Materials I will test the car colors three ways: in real Tule fog for visibility, in dry ice fog for visibility, and in milk fog for reflectivity. My experiments were designed to include an outdoor test in real Tule fog. I did this by hanging eleven pieces of sheet metal each painted with a different car color outdoors. I then ranked the colors as they became visible in foggy conditions at different distances. I tested the car colors indoors by creating a fog simulation chamber. I placed small model cars, painted with the eleven colors, inside this chamber and poured the dry ice fog into it, and then ranked the colors for visiblity as the fog sublimed. The third test was a reflection test in a milk colloid fog chamber where each color had light reflected off of it onto a light meter that gave me a numerical reading of reflectivity while being in a constant fog environment created by milk and water. Each test was performed up to 20 times. Results In the Tule fog test, key lime, yellow, silver, and white all tied for first place ranking. In the dry ice test, orange was the most visible. In the reflection test, white did the best. On an overall average key lime was the most visible, because it placed in the top three rankings in every experiment. Conclusions/Discussion In conclusion, the car color, key lime, performed the best in an averaged overall ranking, involving real-world fog, very dense fog, and reflection tests in fog, making it the most visible car color in my investigation. Also lighter colors such as: key lime, yellow, white silver, orange, tan, and red, performed better in my investigation than the darker colors: brown, blue, green, and black. This was confirmed by a 69% correlation between the brightness of colors and my investigation results. Since many crashes happen in fog, it is important to know which car color is best seen in fog. If something as simple as choosing a different car color could reduce automobile accidents in fog, many lives, limbs, and vehicles could be saved. According to my study, lighter car colors could be considered a safety feature,exspecially the color key lime.

Awards (1)

• Third Place

Competition history

• CSEF 2010 Product Science (Physical) (Junior Division Only) · Entry J2222

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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