The Greenhouse Effect Lab
Partners: Paula Escobar, Ryan Pate
Pre Lab
No Pre- Lab
Problem
What conditions cause the warming of the atmosphere?
Hypothesis
If a bag filled with smoke representing the atmosphere is placed under a lamp representing the sun for ten minutes then the temperature inside the bag will increase.
Experiment Parts
Independent Variable - Air quality of the Ziploc bag.
Dependent Variable - The temperature in the Ziploc bag.
Controlled Variables - Same amount of light, distance from the light, and time; same type of bags and thermometer type.
Control Group - Bag which contains no smoke from the match.
Experimental Group - Bag which does contain smoke from the match.
Dependent Variable - The temperature in the Ziploc bag.
Controlled Variables - Same amount of light, distance from the light, and time; same type of bags and thermometer type.
Control Group - Bag which contains no smoke from the match.
Experimental Group - Bag which does contain smoke from the match.
Materials
- 1 Match
- 2 Ziploc Bags
- 2 Thermometers
- 1 Lamp
- 4 one inch binders
- 2 one subject notebooks
- 1 Norton Anthology book
Procedure
1. Turn on lamp and stack the binders, notebooks and Norton Anthology underneath it.
2.Put one thermometer in each Ziploc bag.
3. Record the starting temperature of both thermometers.
4. Label the bags numbers 1 and 2.
5. Put bag number 1 under the light for ten minutes. Record the temperature.
6. Light a match and capture the smoke inside bag number 2.
7. Put bag number 2 under the light for ten minutes. Record the temperature.
2.Put one thermometer in each Ziploc bag.
3. Record the starting temperature of both thermometers.
4. Label the bags numbers 1 and 2.
5. Put bag number 1 under the light for ten minutes. Record the temperature.
6. Light a match and capture the smoke inside bag number 2.
7. Put bag number 2 under the light for ten minutes. Record the temperature.
Observations
During the 10 minutes that the Ziploc bags were under the lamp, the temperature was slowly and steadily increasing. The temperature inside bag number 2 which contained the smoke increased faster then the temperature in bag number 1. This was probably due to the heat from the fire that was captured in the bag along with the smoke.
Data Table
Analysis and Conclusions
Hypothesis Evaluation: The hypothesis was correct. The bag which contained smoke showed a temperature increase proving that smoke causes warming of the atmosphere. Also, it could be used as evidence to show that everything we burn somehow contributes to global warming.
Accuracy of Results: The results were not entirely accurate, especially for bag #1 because the inside temperature was messed with by somebody breathing into it to expand the bag when it was first opened. Also, it was really hard to capture the smoke inside the bag because the fire from the match was starting to burn and melt the plastic bag. The experiment could be improved by finding a different way to trap the smoke inside the bag and by testing the temperature with a different source of energy such as the sun itself.
Application: From this experiment I have learned that there are many factors that cause the warming of the atmosphere and one of them is smoke. Secondly, I learned that the Greenhouse Effect helps the Earth stay warm during the night time by trapping heat.
Real Life Example: Smoke from cigarettes produces carbon dioxide and methane. These two gases contribute to the cause of global warming through the greenhouse effect. Although the smoke in the lab came from a match and not a cigarette it can still be inferred that smoke plays a great role in global warming. Based on the lab results, it can be concluded that cigarette smokers not only hurt their own health but the health of the planet as well by contributing to global warming.
Accuracy of Results: The results were not entirely accurate, especially for bag #1 because the inside temperature was messed with by somebody breathing into it to expand the bag when it was first opened. Also, it was really hard to capture the smoke inside the bag because the fire from the match was starting to burn and melt the plastic bag. The experiment could be improved by finding a different way to trap the smoke inside the bag and by testing the temperature with a different source of energy such as the sun itself.
Application: From this experiment I have learned that there are many factors that cause the warming of the atmosphere and one of them is smoke. Secondly, I learned that the Greenhouse Effect helps the Earth stay warm during the night time by trapping heat.
Real Life Example: Smoke from cigarettes produces carbon dioxide and methane. These two gases contribute to the cause of global warming through the greenhouse effect. Although the smoke in the lab came from a match and not a cigarette it can still be inferred that smoke plays a great role in global warming. Based on the lab results, it can be concluded that cigarette smokers not only hurt their own health but the health of the planet as well by contributing to global warming.
- "Cigarettes: A Secondary Cause Of Global Warming." Star City News. Star City News, 12 Oct. 2010. Web. 2 Feb. 2013. <http://www.starcitynews.com/cigarettes-a-secondary-cause-of-global-warming/1566/>.