Greenhouse Effect Experimental Design
A student designed an experiment to demonstrate the greenhouse effect. Two identical, sealed boxes, each containing a thermometer, were prepared. One box was filled with carbon dioxide (CO2) and the other with nitrogen (N2). Both boxes were placed under a heat lamp. After several hours, the temperature in both boxes had increased by the same amount, contrary to the student’s expectation that the CO2-filled box would be warmer. Which of the following best explains the conceptual flaw in this experimental design?
The boxes were sealed too tightly, preventing any heat from escaping and thus equalizing the temperature in both boxes.
The concentration of CO2 used was too low to show a measurable difference in temperature increase compared to nitrogen.
The student did not account for the fact that the greenhouse effect requires sunlight’s full spectrum, not just heat from a lamp, to be demonstrated effectively.
The thermometers used were not sensitive enough to detect the slight temperature difference expected between the two gases.
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