Question

Though we may think prior air-conditioning will help to keep the car cool after exiting, you should know that within five minutes on a 90-degree day, the temperature within a vehicle reaches that of the outdoors, and for every nine (9) minutes the interior temperature increases:

Answer 1

The car's interior quickly heats up on a sunny day due to sun's light energy warming up surfaces like the dashboard and seats, leading to a rise in air temperature which is similar to a greenhouse effect.

Step-by-step explanation:

Understanding Car Interior Heating Dynamics

On a warm, sunny day, when a car is parked with windows closed, multiple factors contribute to the interior getting hotter than the outside air. The sun's light energy penetrates the car's windows and is absorbed by the dashboard, seats, and other surfaces. These surfaces, in turn, emit heat, causing the air temperature within the vehicle to rise significantly. This phenomenon is similar to the greenhouse effect and is amplified in a sealed environment where there is no air circulation to dissipate the heat.

This heating effect can make a car's interior uncomfortably hot, illustrating the need for effective cooling measures like air-conditioning. However, once you turn off the air-conditioning and exit the vehicle, the lack of air circulation means the car's interior will quickly return to outdoor temperatures and can even exceed them. This is due to the continued absorption and emission of heat from the car's interior surfaces. Materials like metal, plastic, and leather can get particularly hot to the touch after sitting in the sun for an extended period.