Teaching Science through the Greenhouse Effect

Introduction:
Many pupils will have come across the phrase "The Greenhouse Effect" but may not understand the physical principles that underly this phenomenon. A number of key scientific concepts can be understood through an explanation of the Greenhouse Effect. These include:

• the process of radiation - a process of energy transfer that operates in a vacuum;
• the nature of electromagnetic radiation;
• the composition and nature of the atmosphere;
• the speed of light;
• the terminology of waves - frequency, wavelength and amplitude;
• the relationship between wavelength and the temperature of a body;
• the relationship between wavelength, frequency and speed;
• the relationship between wavelength and attenuation of energy as it passes through the atmosphere.