How Can we Cool Down This Bus?

NGSS Phenomena:
The school district decides to run a design contest to have students come up with solutions that can be added to the bus to make the bus ride more comfortable in the summer. The solution has to cost less than $500 for each bus and needs to be installed over one weekend. Below are some of their designs.






Mateo's design involves using fans in every window, pointing outward. He believes this design will help to pull the hot air out of the bus to keep everyone inside cooler. Here’s a mock-up of his design:
NGSS Phenomena:


Aaliyah's design uses mirrors on the top of the bus and on the windows to reflect the sun away from the bus. Her design is below.
NGSS Phenomena:


Liam's design uses aluminum cans that he’ll recycle from his school to create strips of metal on the bus seats that go under the seat. The metal strips are meant to send heat energy away from something touching them to other parts of the seat. While the temperature of the bus did not change, students reported that the metal was cooler on their skin.
NGSS Phenomena:

1. The criteria mentioned by the school district are and . Constraints mentioned by them are and .

Drag the answers below into the grey placeholders above

cost
can be installed in a weekend
temperature cooler or the same as outside
can be added to the bus

2. What is the minimum amount of time that the device needs to control the temperature inside the bus?

3. Mateo’s design aims to transfer energy by . Aaliyah’s design attempts to intercept the transfer energy by . Liam’s design attempts to transfer energy by .

Drag the answers below into the grey placeholders above

convection
radiation
conduction

4. Whose device seeks to maximize the transfer of energy?

5. Whose device seeks to minimize the transfer of energy?

6.
The table above gives information about the costs and installation time for each of the students’ proposed solutions. Use this and other information provided to explain which solution should win the contest. Your response should discuss the criteria and constraints of the problem, as well as the ability of the devices to transfer heat.

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This matching question aligns to the following standards

  • ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting an Engineering Problem

  • MS-PS3-3

This multiple choice question aligns to the following standards

  • ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting an Engineering Problem

  • MS-PS3-3

  • PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

  • PS3.A: Definitions of Energy

This matching question aligns to the following standards

  • PS3.A: Definitions of Energy

  • PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

  • Energy and Matter: Flows, Cycles, and Conservation

  • MS-PS3-3

This multiple choice question aligns to the following standards

  • MS-PS3-3

  • Energy and Matter: Flows, Cycles, and Conservation

  • PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

  • PS3.A: Definitions of Energy

  • Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

This multiple choice question aligns to the following standards

  • PS3.A: Definitions of Energy

  • MS-PS3-3

  • Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

  • Energy and Matter: Flows, Cycles, and Conservation

This free response question aligns to the following standards

  • ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting an Engineering Problem

  • MS-PS3-3

  • Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

  • Energy and Matter: Flows, Cycles, and Conservation

  • PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

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