Energy and socity - Lab Report Example

Molecules absorb and emit energy principally emanating from:- 1. Electron excitation (Exemplified by atoms) 2. Rotational motion 3. Vibration motion The 2nd and 3rd energies are predominantly in molecules, where vibration energy emanates from their atoms’ bonds. Because bonds act like springs while expanding, contracting and bending, so as to produce or absorb energy. In addition, the three energies redistribute themselves in diverse portions of spectrum according to how they react to their preferred portions.

Electronic energy dominates UV region while vibration and rotation energies are in the infrared parts. For an absorption or emission to happen within a certain molecule, it evidently depends on bond and atom type which constitutes that entity. N2 and O2 are diatomic gases whose atoms emanate from their parent element and they lack net change in their dipole moment. This implies that IR has no effect on them even though the waves pass through their bonds; hence they have poor absorption characteristics.

Conversely, some dissimilar diatomic gases like CO and HC do absorb IR, but their characteristic atomic orientation makes them transitory. This forms an insignificant result on the greenhouse effect where exemplification of IR absorption cannot utilize this categorization. Sun radiations once they hit earth bounce off in the form of long-waves, where atmospheric gases absorb the escaping reflected them. Gases’ absorption is proportional to their distinct wave-lengths, thus shunning the radiations from escaping to the outer space.

Figure 1 depicts escaping of solar radiations to the space, but H2O compared to CO2 has a wide range of absorption. The exemplified phenomena do not always exist despite H2O being most dominant, since at various occasions CO2 in regard to their concentration have greater absorption proportions. Figure 2 illustrates absorption of diverse gases and affirms water vapor as the dominant long-wave absorber. Figure 3 depicts diverse gases’ distributions in the ambiance according to their concentrations.

Figure 1: Greenhouse Effect – Simplified. Retrieved from http://www.climatedata.info/Forcing/Emissions/files/BIGw07-simplified-radiation.gif.gif Figure 2: Greenhouse Effect - Long Wave Absorption. Retrieved from http://www.climatedata.info/Forcing/Emissions/files/BIGw08-greenhouse-effect.gif.gif Figure 3: Relative Contributions of Greenhouse Gases. Retrieved from http://www.climatedata.info/Forcing/Emissions/files/BIG09-percentage.gif.gif Purpose and hypothesis The core purpose of this lab report is to ascertain varying absorption of infrared photons by diverse GHGs and give clear deductions due to their characteristic behaviors.

This encompasses expounding gases’ distinct characteristics coupled with why they adopt a distinct behavior. GHGs possess diverse absorption characteristics that enable them to act in a particular manner when subjected to infrared photons. These characteristics contribute significantly to the greenhouse effect when solar short-wave after bouncing off the earth’s surface gets trapped by GHGs. H2O among the gases dominates with its overwhelming characteristics, but differ according to day’s air humidity.

Procedure Procedure entails having an infrared photon source that produces diverse intensities and whose variations are adjustable. GHGs pass in the path of infrared photo