Greenhouse Effect Lab
Collaborators- Cameron Jarvis
Abstract- We used beakers and plastic wrap to simulate the trapping of heat by ozone gasses. We believed that if you increased the insulation (greenhouse gasses), the temperature will rise and be contained longer. We tested this by using two beakers, one with no insulation and the other with insulation. Beaker 1, the control, gained lower temperatures and was unable to retain its temperature for very long. Beaker 2, the experimental, gained generally higher temperatures than beaker 1 and was able to retain its temperature longer because of the plastic wrap.
Problem- What conditions cause the warming of the atmosphere?
Hypothesis- If you increase the amount of insulation, the temperature will rise because the heat will not be able to escape .
Parts of the experiment- Control- Beaker 1 (no plastic wrap)
Experimental- Beaker 2 (with plastic wrap)
Independent variable- Plastic wrap
Dependent variable- Temperature
Materials- Plastic wrap 2 Thermometers
2 Beakers Aluminum foil
Lamp Water
Ring stand
Method- 1. Wrap the base of each beaker on aluminum foil.
2. Pour 75ml of water in each beaker.
3. Place thermometers in water and record the initial temperatures.
4. Cover the top of one beaker with plastic wrap.
5. Leave both beakers under the lamp for 5 minutes.
6. Record peak temperatures of both beakers.
7. Wait for 1 minute and observe how fast each of the temperatures drop.
8. Pour out the beakers and repeat steps 2-7 two more times.
Abstract- We used beakers and plastic wrap to simulate the trapping of heat by ozone gasses. We believed that if you increased the insulation (greenhouse gasses), the temperature will rise and be contained longer. We tested this by using two beakers, one with no insulation and the other with insulation. Beaker 1, the control, gained lower temperatures and was unable to retain its temperature for very long. Beaker 2, the experimental, gained generally higher temperatures than beaker 1 and was able to retain its temperature longer because of the plastic wrap.
Problem- What conditions cause the warming of the atmosphere?
Hypothesis- If you increase the amount of insulation, the temperature will rise because the heat will not be able to escape .
Parts of the experiment- Control- Beaker 1 (no plastic wrap)
Experimental- Beaker 2 (with plastic wrap)
Independent variable- Plastic wrap
Dependent variable- Temperature
Materials- Plastic wrap 2 Thermometers
2 Beakers Aluminum foil
Lamp Water
Ring stand
Method- 1. Wrap the base of each beaker on aluminum foil.
2. Pour 75ml of water in each beaker.
3. Place thermometers in water and record the initial temperatures.
4. Cover the top of one beaker with plastic wrap.
5. Leave both beakers under the lamp for 5 minutes.
6. Record peak temperatures of both beakers.
7. Wait for 1 minute and observe how fast each of the temperatures drop.
8. Pour out the beakers and repeat steps 2-7 two more times.
Lab data-
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Initial temperatures (Tests 1-3)-
Beaker 1 Beaker 2
Temperatures- 70 degrees F 70 degrees F
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Measured peak temperatures (degrees F)-
Beaker 1 Beaker 2
Test 1 71 75
Test 2 80 84
Test 3 83 80
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Heat retaining test-
Test 1-2-
-0 sec- Beaker 1 has a lower temperature immediately after the lamp turned off.
-30 sec- Beaker 2 has not dropped in temperature while the temperature of Beaker 1 is dropping rapidly.
-60 sec- Beaker 2 has higher temperature and Beaker 1's temperature has dropped drastically.
Test 3-
-0 sec- Beaker 1 has a higher initial temperature.
-30 sec- Beaker 2 has not dropped in temperature while Beaker 1 has now fallen below Beaker 2's temperature.
-60 sec- Beaker 2 ends up with a higher temperature despite Beaker 1's temperature being initially higher.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Initial temperatures (Tests 1-3)-
Beaker 1 Beaker 2
Temperatures- 70 degrees F 70 degrees F
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Measured peak temperatures (degrees F)-
Beaker 1 Beaker 2
Test 1 71 75
Test 2 80 84
Test 3 83 80
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Heat retaining test-
Test 1-2-
-0 sec- Beaker 1 has a lower temperature immediately after the lamp turned off.
-30 sec- Beaker 2 has not dropped in temperature while the temperature of Beaker 1 is dropping rapidly.
-60 sec- Beaker 2 has higher temperature and Beaker 1's temperature has dropped drastically.
Test 3-
-0 sec- Beaker 1 has a higher initial temperature.
-30 sec- Beaker 2 has not dropped in temperature while Beaker 1 has now fallen below Beaker 2's temperature.
-60 sec- Beaker 2 ends up with a higher temperature despite Beaker 1's temperature being initially higher.
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Data analysis- The data from our lab shows that insulation did help in raising the temperature, with the exception of Test 3 where Beaker 1 had a higher peak temperature. This could have been caused by inconsistencies such as holes in the plastic wrap, closeness of the lamp to the beaker, or other factors. However, the Heat retaining test shows that the insulation (greenhouse gasses) can trap heat to keep the beaker (atmosphere) warm.
Conclusions- Our results support our hypothesis as the insulated beaker managed to get higher temperatures and retain them for long periods of time. Our lab shows that without the insulation of greenhouse gasses, temperature would be lost very quickly. "Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb some of it, which makes the atmosphere warmer. As the atmosphere gets warmer, it makes the Earth's surface warmer, too. (1)" Our plastic wrap acted as the greenhouse gasses and trapped the heat in, causing the beaker (Earth) to become warmer and also kept warm even after the lamp (sun) was shut off (night cycle).
Citations-
1. "The Greenhouse Effect." a student's guide to Global Climate Change. US EPA, 21
June 2013. Web. 5 Sept. 2013. <http://epa.gov/climatestudents/basics/today
/greenhouse-effect.html>.
Conclusions- Our results support our hypothesis as the insulated beaker managed to get higher temperatures and retain them for long periods of time. Our lab shows that without the insulation of greenhouse gasses, temperature would be lost very quickly. "Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb some of it, which makes the atmosphere warmer. As the atmosphere gets warmer, it makes the Earth's surface warmer, too. (1)" Our plastic wrap acted as the greenhouse gasses and trapped the heat in, causing the beaker (Earth) to become warmer and also kept warm even after the lamp (sun) was shut off (night cycle).
Citations-
1. "The Greenhouse Effect." a student's guide to Global Climate Change. US EPA, 21
June 2013. Web. 5 Sept. 2013. <http://epa.gov/climatestudents/basics/today
/greenhouse-effect.html>.