Provided by: Climate Science Demonstrations |Published on: November 26, 2025
Videos
345678
Synopsis
This video, provided by CLEAN, describes how the nitrogen and oxygen molecules in the atmosphere are different from the carbon dioxide molecules, using tennis ball models of the molecules to demonstrate the differences.
Students will learn why those differences matter for the greenhouse effect and why other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum aren’t affected by those differences.
This video is less than 4 minutes, well-paced, and simple to follow.
If given the chance to make their own, students will benefit from the hands-on experience.
Prerequisites
Students should already have some background knowledge of our atmosphere and a general understanding of the greenhouse effect.
Differentiation & Implementation
Teachers can use these models as a hands-on component in a lesson about molecules, atomic structure, the electromagnetic spectrum, greenhouse gases, or climate change.
After a unit or lesson about climate change and greenhouse gases, students can demonstrate their understanding by creating these models and taking them to younger students or other teachers to demonstrate how they are related to climate change.
Have students explore methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) as well, then compare them to carbon dioxide and see if students can guess which molecule is the best at trapping heat.
Scientist Notes
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Related Teaching Resources
All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.
