wirebender
Senior Member
So you are saying the CO2 experiment where the one fishtank holds more heat than the other is wrong?
You must first understand what you are seeing for it to have any real meaning. In the fish tank experiment, you are proving that the emission spectrum of one CO2 molecule can not be absorbed by another CO2 molecule and if you remove conduction and convection from the equation, you can achieve a buildup of heat. The experiment is not analogous to the atmosphere because it is performed in a closed system.
Frank's point about them needing to do it at a200ppm increase is valid. I have seen this too many times at science fairs to disbelieve.
Since you seem to hang out at science fairs, next time you see the experiment, ask about the relative humidity in the different tanks. Even a small difference can make a considerable difference in heat accumulation as water vapor actually does have the ability to trap and store heat. Not that it makes any difference with regard to the experiment's validity because experiments performed in a closed system are not analogous to open systems.