How do I make a model for the green house effect?

Question

I need a clever simple idea on how to do this, and I also need to be able to measure the temperature inside.

Answer 1

Glass works nicely. Invert a jar (prob a quart of larger) over a thermometer and have another thermometer next to it but outside the jar (not touching the surface of the table, but a few inches above it so you're measureing air temp & not the surface temp); set in the sun or you could even hang a 100 watt light bulb over them both. You can show how the glass lets the light in but stops the heat radiating off the surface. A black sheet of paper under the whole works would speed things up a bit too.

Answer 2

That would be hard to do. You'd need a couple of glass jars that were the same size with thermometers in each one. What is inside each jar would have to be identical. I'd recommend putting nothing in each jar except for a thermometer and placing the theremometers exactly the same. You could probably do a small reaction of vinegar and baking soda in the one and no reaction in the other. This would provide more Carbon Dioxide in the one that has the reaction. Place similar size light bulbs (same wattage) over each glass dome and measure the temperatures over several days. The light bulbs will also need to be the same distance from each dome. This may work, but it also may be too small of scale to really make a difference in temperature. Also both lack ozone, which would be hard to reproduce through a simple chemical reaction.

It's probably just easier to drape a white screen over one to demonstrate how ozone filters out some of the radiation or to place a lense over one of the lights (sunglasses or something).

Answer 3

Put a poly bag over a plant and every now and again blow smoke into it and put a themometer in it.

ps put it in a sunny window.

Answer 4

theres no such thing