It's a Gas, Man

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In this activity, learners discover if carbon dioxide has an effect on temperature. Learners compare the temperatures of two bottles filled with water, one with seltzer tablets and one without, when they are both equally exposed to heat from a lamp for an hour. Use this demonstration to introduce learners to global warming, the greenhouse effect, and summer safety precautions. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
1 to 2 hours
Estimated Materials Cost:
1 cent - $1 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 6 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Demonstration, Experiment/Lab Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • Two clear 2-liter bottles
  • Two thermometers
  • Molding clay
  • Two seltzer tablets
  • Table top lamp used as source of heat

Keywords

Subjects

  • Earth and Space Science
    • Earth Processes
      • Weather and Climate
    • Earth Structure
      • Atmosphere
    • Solar System
      • The Planets
  • Life Sciences
    • Ecology
      • Human Impact
    • Human Body
      • Health and Nutrition
  • Mathematics
    • Data Analysis and Probability
      • Data Analysis
      • Data Collection
    • Measurement
      • Rate
  • Physical Sciences
    • Heat and Thermodynamics
      • Heat and Temperature
      • Heat Transfer
    • Energy
    • States of Matter
      • Gases
    • Structure and Properties of Matter
      • Elements and Periodic Table
  • The Nature of Science
    • Science and Society
      • Risks and Benefits
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data

Informal Categories

  • Nature and Environment

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • read
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, National Weather Service,