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Global Warming Experiment Guide

The document describes an experiment to simulate the greenhouse effect and global warming by placing plants and thermometers inside and outside a transparent box exposed to sunlight. Inside the box, the temperature rises faster than outside because the box prevents the transmission of infrared radiation but not visible light. This illustrates how greenhouse gases trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere causing global warming.

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34 views2 pages

Global Warming Experiment Guide

The document describes an experiment to simulate the greenhouse effect and global warming by placing plants and thermometers inside and outside a transparent box exposed to sunlight. Inside the box, the temperature rises faster than outside because the box prevents the transmission of infrared radiation but not visible light. This illustrates how greenhouse gases trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere causing global warming.

Translated by

ScribdTranslations
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Science Experiments

Global Warming and Greenhouse Effect


What are we going to do?
We are going to reproduce the conditions that generate global warming on Earth.
simulating the effects of the Sun on living beings. In this way, we can understand what
Part of the electromagnetic radiation that comes from the Sun is what helps us grow.
and which produces the warming.

Materials
A transparent acrylic box (or a transparent plastic box)
Two plants that fit inside the box
Two thermometers
A watch
Plastic cups

Procedure

First, we built a transparent box that simulates the conditions of Earth in


the space. It can be made of acrylic or transparent plastic.
We need to grow two bean plants (or another vegetable) in plastic cups, the
that will help us visualize the temperature changes. When you have
approximately 15 cm in height, they are ready to conduct the experiment.
3. The activity should be carried out on a sunny day and close to noon so that
there is a lot of solar radiation. Place the plants and thermometers as indicated in the
first figure. VERY IMPORTANT: you must place the bulb of the thermometer (the little ball)
that encloses the mercury) in the shadow of the plastic glass where the plant is. From this
In this way, none of the thermometers are in direct sunlight, and they can measure the
ambient temperature.
4. Record the initial temperature of the thermometers. Every 2 minutes, log the
temperature of the thermometers and the time of the measurement. After about 15 to 20
In minutes, the temperature inside the box will be much higher than outside.
Also note a description of the condition of both plants.
5. Create a graph of temperatures as a function of time, with time on the
ordered and the temperature on the abscissa. The graph should be similar to that of the figure.
6. Repeat the experiment in a room with low lighting. What temperatures

What do you get inside the box?

How do we explain what happened?


The Sun emits radiation in a part of the electromagnetic spectrum, which corresponds to the
infrared, visible, and ultraviolet. The most intense emission corresponds to yellow.
When the Sun's radiation hits an object on Earth, it absorbs it.
solar radiation and heats up slightly. When heated, the body emits radiation with
longest wavelength (infrared) and cools slightly. The radiation coming from
The sunlight absorbed by the bodies is mainly yellow, and the radiation they emit
the bodies when heated are red or infrared. Under normal conditions, the amount of
the radiation that bodies on Earth receive and emit is the same, therefore not
they heat up. The acrylic or clear plastic box has the effect of preventing the
transmission of infrared radiation. As plastic is transparent to radiation
visible (mainly yellow), but opaque to solar radiation, in a short time,
the interior of the box heats up much more than the exterior. This heating can be
to see the effect it produces on the plants located inside and outside the box.
The one inside starts to wilt due to the heat effect, and the one from the
the exterior is not affected so noticeably.

Global Warming and Greenhouse Effect


Global warming is a process that has been affecting the Earth for
some years and is a product of the uncontrolled industrialization of humanity.
Many of the climate changes observed in recent years: major
flooding, extreme cold, storms, among others, are probably due to
global warming. In turn, this warming is produced by the effect
greenhouse. There are gases in the atmosphere that allow visible radiation (yellow,
green, blue, etc.) and absorb the longer wavelength radiation (red or infrared). These
gases are those called 'Greenhouse Effect' and exist in the atmosphere in small
amounts (CO2, CH4, H2O, NOx, O3, CFC). Many industrial processes, the
transport and other activities generate these gases in quantities that disrupt the balance
Atmospheric and produce global warming. The infrared radiation that they emit
bodies, crosses the atmosphere and exits into space, in this way a
stable temperature on Earth, since the radiation that goes out is the same as that which comes in. The
"greenhouse gases" (CO2, CH4, H2O, NOx, O3, CFC) have the property of
that absorb infrared radiation, preventing the Earth from cooling. As
as a consequence the Earth is warming because the escape route for this radiation is reduced

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