Carry your solar cooker, data recording sheet, timer, thermometer for measuring the air
temperature outside of the cooker, refrigerated chocolate chip, and anything else you might need to a shady location.
Record the following information: season of the year, time of day, color and shininess
of the inside surfaces of your cooker, and sky conditions on the data - recording sheet.
Set up your cooker, carry it to the test spot, and record the time you started melting
the chocolate chip. Place a thermometer next to your cooker. (Be sure the sun is not shining on the bulb of the thermometer.)
Record the time you stopped melting the chocolate chip and the temperature of the air outside of
the cooker on the data recording sheet.
Test to see the chocolate is completely melted by squishing the chip between thumb
and forefinger. If it has melted completely, go to Step 6. If it has not melted completely, go to Step 7.
Calculate the time it took to melt the chocolate chip (time you stopped melting minus
the time you started). Record the number of minutes, and seconds on your data-recording sheet.
Take your cooker to the shade and, when it is your turn, repeat Steps 3-5 as often as required.
Clean everything up before returning to the classroom and sending your data to the
Chocolate Melt database.
