Does the Angle of the Solar Panel Affect the Speed of the Model Solar Car?
Rachel V. 4th Grade, Saturn Elementary, Cocoa Florida Teacher: Kathy Nelson View larger image Hypothesis: The angle of the panel does affect the speed. (Professor Sunny’s note: Rachel used a 3V solar panel adjusted at the rear of the vehicle to specific test angles. All trials were run at the same time of the day, on the same course that faced directly toward the sun.) Results: The solar panel’s angle does affect the speed of the solar car. Twenty to fourty degree angles are all about the same, about 4.1 seconds to 4.3 seconds. Zero and three degrees are between 7.4 seconds and 10.6 seconds. Conclusion: The angle of the panel does affect the speed of a solar car. The higher the angle was, the faster the car went. The sun’s rays gave more power when more of the panel was facing the sun.
