Parabolic trough

Have you ever held a big spoon or a shovel? When you hold it flat, it doesn't hold much sunlight. But if you bend the spoon or shovel into a U shape like a big letter "U," it can hold a lot more light. This is what a parabolic trough is like.

A parabolic trough is a big metal curve that looks like a long U shape. It’s made out of a reflective material, like glass or metal, and curved in a way that focuses sunlight onto one point. The point where the sunlight hits is called the focal point.

Now, imagine you’re on vacation and you’re in a swimming pool. You have your hand out of the water, and you feel the sun’s warmth on your skin. When you put your hand underwater, the sun’s warmth feels even stronger. This is because the water acts like a magnifying glass, making the light more concentrated.

A parabolic trough works in much the same way. It concentrates sunlight onto a small area (the focal point) to make it very hot. The trough usually rotates along an axis to track the sun, making sure that the sunlight always hits on the focal point.

People build parabolic troughs to make electricity. They use the heat to boil water, which makes steam, which then powers a turbine. The turbine turns a generator, and the generator makes electricity.

So, in summary, a parabolic trough is a big metal curve that focuses sunlight onto a small area to make it very hot. People use parabolic troughs to make electricity by using the heat to boil water, which then turns a turbine that powers a generator.