Activity 8

Greenhouse Effect

Website:  http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/greenhouse.  Click on “Run Now” to run the simulation.

What do the yellow dots moving down represent?________Sunlight photon__________________

What do the red dots represent?__ _infrared photon__________________   Watch them carefully.  Do they all move upwards?  ______ the red dots are moving up and down and the yellow dots are just moving downwards. Because the sunlight would not be returning back to the sky.   Why or why not?

Today

Record the composition of the atmosphere (on the right side of the screen): H2O (water vapor) 70% rel. humidity CO2 (carbon dioxide) 339 ppm CH4 (methane) 1.843 ppm N2O (nitrous oxide) .317 ppm (ppm means “parts per million”)

Record the temperature on the thermometer: K (kelvin) 288 °F (degrees Fahrenheit) 57 °C (degrees Celsius) 13.889

1750

Click on “1750” on the right side of the screen to set the atmosphere to the proportions for that date.  Wait a few minutes for the temperature to stabilize.

Record the composition of the atmosphere (on the right side of the screen): H2O (water vapor) 70% rel. humidity CO2 (carbon dioxide) 280 ppm CH4 (methane) .270 ppm N2O (nitrous oxide) .270 ppm

Record the temperature on the thermometer: K (kelvin) 287 °F (degrees Fahrenheit) 60 °C (degrees Celsius) 15.55

Ice Age

Click on “Ice Age” on the right side of the screen to set the atmosphere to the proportions for Earth’s last major ice age.  Wait a few minutes for the temperature to stabilize.

Record the composition of the atmosphere (on the right side of the screen): H2O (water vapor) ? CO2 (carbon dioxide) 180ppm CH4 (methane) .380 ppm N2O (nitrous oxide) .215 ppm

Record the temperature on the thermometer: K (kelvin) 275 °F (degrees Fahrenheit) 34 °C (degrees Celsius) 1.11

Glass Layers

Click on the “Glass Layers” tab at the top of the screen.  On the right side of the screen, set the Number of Glass Panes to “1”.

Watch the yellow photons carefully.  Do they pass through the glass or are they blocked? ___pass through___

Watch the red photons carefully.  Do they pass through the glass or are they blocked?  _______blocked_________ (Move the slider at the bottom of the screen to slow down the animation if necessary.)

Record the temperature on the thermometer:  307K, ____91___ °F.

Your family’s car has been parked outside on a cold but sunny day.  When you get in the car, it is much warmer than the air outside.  Explain how this can happen. Warmer because the sun is warming it up and  the wind is not blowing through it.

Photon Absorption

Click on the “Photon Absorption” tab at the top of the screen.

A methane molecule sits in the middle of the screen.  Use the slider on the left side of the screen to shoot some infrared photons at the molecule.  Do all the photons pass through the molecule?  _____no___________ When a photon gets absorbed, what happens next?  __the molecule in the middle shakes and a new one is emitted_______ _______ When a new photon is emitted, is it always sent in the same direction? __________________no_______________

Use the buttons on the right side of the screen to test different molecules.  Record your observations in the table below.  Write “yes” if any photons get absorbed; write “no” if no photons get absorbed.

Which gases absorb photons?

	Infrared Photons	Visible Photons
CH4 (methane)	yes	no
CO2 (carbon dioxide)	yes	no
H2O (water vapor)	yes	no
N2 (nitrogen)	no	no
O2 (oxygen)	no	no

Which three gases contribute to the greenhouse effect in our atmosphere?____CH₄ CO₂ H₂O_______________

Which two gases do NOT contribute to the greenhouse effect?  N₂ O₂

2. Work with any of the Chemistry Simulations to create your own Teaching Idea. The criteria for this is as follows: Fourth grade
Go through the build a molecule simulation.
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/build-a-molecule

Make Molecules

                Make each of the molecules than do some research to see what kind of products these molecules are used in. Draw the pictures of the molecules that you built.

Collect Multiple

                Make the 4 molecules and draw a picture of each. Also find the scientific name and common name for each.

Larger molecules

                Make the following molecules and write what elements were used and how many.

Kit 1: Hypochlorous Acid

Kit 3: hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride

Kit 7: make bromoamine

Science standards

·               Physical science

·               Nature of science

·               Science inquiry