The Greenhouse Effect

Boy is it hot in this car!

On a hot summer weekend the Smith family decides to head out to the beach in the family car. Mrs. Smith parked the car and the family got out to hit the beach. After a couple hours they decided to go back home.

As they got back in the car they noticed the air temperature in the car was significantly higher than the air outside. Their daughter Lisa said it was so hot she felt sick. Can you help the Smith family figure out what happened?

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We will examine the Greenhouse Effect by creating a model of a greenhouse, just as the earth is a model of a greenhouse.

We will examine how the Greenhouse Effect influences life on earth.

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einstein™Tablet+ or einstein™Labmate+™ paired with a tablet Two external Temperature sensors (-40 ºC to 140 ºC) Two small glass rods

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Two rubber bands Two 150 ml. beakers Enough dry soil to cover the bottom 2 cm. of the beakers A sandwich bag A table lamp (75/100W)

Predict which glass will become hotter – the one covered with the plastic bag or the uncovered one.

Explain.

1. Turn on the einstein™Tablet+ or einstein™Labmate+™ paired with a tablet.

2. Tap the MiLAB (

Tap the Setup cog (

) icon to open the application.

) and use the table below to set up the measurement parameters:

1. Insert the sensor cables from the two Temperature sensors into the sensor ports on either the einstein™Tablet+ or the einstein™LabMate+.

2. Make sure that a checkmark appears by the two external Temperature sensors on the MiLAB program.

3. Use rubber bands to attach the Temperature sensors to the glass rods so the sensors are 3 cm above the end of the rod. The rubber bands should be tight enough to hold them in place.

4. Label the beakers 1 and 2 then put them on the table.

5. Add dry soil to each beaker so that the soil reaches a height of 2 cm.

6. Cover one of the beakers with a plastic bag, securing it with a rubber band.

7. Insert the temperature sensors into the beakers making sure the glass rod is touching the soil with the sensors are in the air.

8. Place the lamp so it is 30 cm from both beakers (it must be equidistant from each beaker). Turn the light on.

9. Tap the Run ( ) button to start measuring the temperature in both beakers.

10. Follow the graph of the temperatures in both beakers.

11. When the data recording is complete, tap Save (

) to save the results.

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Click on the final temperature measured for the uncovered glass.

Click on the final temperature measured on the covered glass.

What is the difference between the final temperatures of each glass?

Compare your results with others in your class. Are they similar?

Understanding Results Discussion Questions 1.

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What did the two cups have in common?

What was different about the cups?

What caused the results of each to be different?

Why was it important that everything about the cups was the same, except the cover?

What did the plastic bag represent?

What does this test tell us about The Greenhouse Effect?

What conclusions can you make that connect this test to the natural world?

Present the information you have gathered in this test in a creative way. Remember, your information should clearly explain The Greenhouse Effect including your results and its application to the real world.

You can create a poster, skit, comic, interview, song or chart.

What is The Greenhouse Effect? A greenhouse is a house made of glass, even its walls and ceiling. People grow plants and flowers in a greenhouse because it can stay warm, even during the wintertime. When light shines on the greenhouse, it warms the plants and the air inside. The glass does not allow the heat to escape, so it remains very warm inside during the daytime and can also stay pretty warm at night.

The Greenhouse Effect is what allows living things to survive on earth. Earth’s atmosphere is a natural greenhouse. When the sun’s light shines through the atmosphere, the surface of the earth warms up. As the surface cools, that heat is released back into the air. But some of it is trapped within earth’s atmosphere, keeping earth’s temperature regulated. The average temperature on earth is about 15 ° C. In the absence of the Greenhouse Effect, the temperature on Earth would be colder by about 33 degrees Celsius - that is, below the freezing point of water. Imagine life on earth in that climate!

The Greenhouse Effect creates both positive and negative outcomes on earth. There are many threats to the environment, such as global warming. Most researchers agree that global warming can cause melting of polar ice, rising sea levels, the expansion of desert areas, cooling of Northern Europe due to the disruption of the Gulf Stream. Many researchers believe that global warming is made worse by human and industrial waste, which causes increased emission of greenhouse gases. Many countries have committee support to dealing with this problem, and are developing ways to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they emit.