Modelling the Greenhouse Effect

Aim
To understand the influence of carbon dioxide on the Earth’s surface temperature.

Hypothesis
As the concentration of carbon dioxide(in PPM) increases, then the temperature also increases.

Identified Variables
Independent variable: whether bicarbonate soda and vinegar were used or not
Dependent variable: the inside temperature of the bottle
Controlled variables: distance of bottle to heat source, volume and shape of the bottle, type and
size of heat lamp (affects the amount of heat produced)

Materials
- x1 permanent marker
- 0.5 spatula of baking soda
- ~ 15mL of vinegar
- x1 box cutter knife
- x2 heat lamps
- x2 clear 2L PET bottles with the labels removed
- x2 Pasco Temperature Sensors with USB links
- 30cm ruler
- x2 CO2 Wireless Sensors
- x1 roll of masking tape

Methodology
1. Collect all the materials listed above.
2. Label one PET bottle as the ‘Control’ and the other as ‘Experiment’ using a permanent
marker and masking tape. Place the tape near the neck of the bottle.
3. Remove the lids of the PET bottles and place them aside to be reattached later.
4. Use the box cutter knife(carefully) to make a small hole at the base of the neck of the PET
bottle. It should be big enough to snuggly accommodate the temperature sensor.
5. Start the Pasco Experiment software on two PC laptops.
6. Connect a temperature sensor and CO2 sensor to the PC laptop (make sure that the wifi
code on the sensor matches the code displayed on the PC laptop’s internet access field).
7. Calibrate the CO2 sensor on the benchtop (the sensor has an error range of 100PPM when it
is calibrated to 400PPM).
8. Place the temperature sensors into the premade hole in the PET bottle labelled ‘Control’
and seal using masking tape.
9. Seal the top of the bottle by inserting the CO2 sensor into the ‘neck’ of the bottle and seal
any gaps using masking tape
10. Place 0.5 spatula of baking soda into the ‘Experiment’ bottle.
 11. Place the temperature sensors into the premade hole in the PET bottle labelled ‘Experiment’
and seal using masking tape.
12. Add 15mL of vinegar and immediately seal the top of the bottle by inserting the CO2 sensor
into the neck of the bottle and seal using masking tape.
13. Place both bottles 30cm away from and in front of the heat lamps (one heat lamp is
dedicated to one bottle).
14. Use the Pasco Software to start recording the temperature and CO2 concentration from
both bottles and measure both for 15 minutes.

Results
Observations
Figure 1:
- Data from the ‘Control’ group stays almost constant throughout the 15 minutes (~470).
- Data from the ‘Experiment’ group increases almost logarithmically, with the main outliers
at points between 2 and 4 minutes.

Figure 2:
- Data from both groups have a similar trend and almost the same values.
- Data from both groups stay almost constant throughout the 15 minutes (do not change very
much)

Discussion
This experiment aimed to observe the relationship between the concentration of CO2 and
temperature. The hypothesis was not supported by the results that were obtained. It was
hypothesised that as the concentration of CO2 increases, the temperature also increases. However,
the results, as shown in Figure 2, showed that the temperature did not increase by a loteven though
the concentration of carbon dioxide increased greatly. In fact, that increase was less than the rise in
temperature of the control group - at 15 minutes, the control group had a temperature of 23.8
degrees Celsius whereas the experimental group had a temperature of 23.6 degrees Celsius.
The investigation was meant to show the effect that greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide in
this case) have on temperature. The carbon dioxide produced by the reaction of baking soda and
vinegar was meant to mimic atmospheric greenhouse gases and how they continually trap heat in
the atmosphere.
Greenhouse gases accumulate in the troposphere. Their purpose is to trap infrared radiation in the
atmosphere, creating an environment where the temperature is warm enough for organisms to
survive in. This is the greenhouse gas effect. An increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would
lead to an enhanced version of the greenhouse gas effect, causing global temperatures to rise and
contributing to climate change.
An experiment is valid if the results of the experiment accurately measure the concept being tested.
In this investigation, it can be improved by controlling the ratio of baking soda to vinegar.
Accuracy refers to how well your results from your experiment compare to the expected ones and it
can be improved by calibrating equipment, in this case, the sensors, at least twice. An experiment is
considered to be reliable if the results obtained are similar after repeating the investigation
multiple times, and in this experiment, it can be improved by repeating the experimentation of
each group at least thrice.

Conclusion
The aim of this experiment was to observe the effect of carbon dioxide on temperature. The results
received did not support the hypothesis as it was shown that the temperature did not increase as
the concentration of carbon dioxide increased, which was the opposite of what was hypothesised.
However, CO2 is not the only greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, but it was the only one that was
investigated - this could be a limitation.