======Greenhouse Analogy with Chocolate======


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**Alternative titles:** Melting Chocolate Greenhouse Model
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Begin with a discussion about why Earth is warmer than the Moon, even though both receive the same sunlight. Explain that Earth’s atmosphere, rich in greenhouse gases, traps heat.  
  - Provide each group with a transparent container, chocolate squares, and a light source or direct sunlight.  
  - Place one chocolate square inside the container and another outside as a control. Seal the container with plastic wrap or modeling clay if necessary.  
  - Expose both setups to sunlight or a lamp.  
  - Observe the chocolates at regular intervals, noting how quickly the one inside the container softens or melts compared to the control.  
  - Discuss results as a class, linking the faster melting inside the container to the role of greenhouse gases in trapping heat.



====Links==== 
Greenhouse effect - Experiment video: an analogy of the greenhouse effect - Office for Climate Education: 
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📄 THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT: UNDERSTANDING WITH AN ANALOGY - oce.global: [[https://www.oce.global/sites/default/files/2023-04/A2%20EN_0.pdf]]\\


====Variations====
  * Use butter instead of chocolate as the heat-sensitive material.  
  * Compare results using glass versus plastic containers.  
  * Try the experiment outside in sunlight versus inside under a lamp.  
  * Test with different container sizes to see how the rate of melting changes.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Handle lamps and hot bulbs carefully to avoid burns.  
  * Keep the container stable so melted chocolate does not spill.  
  * Do not eat the experimental chocolate.




====Questions to Consider====
  * Why did the chocolate inside the container melt faster? (The container trapped heat, similar to how greenhouse gases trap infrared radiation in Earth’s atmosphere.)  
  * How does this model help explain why Earth is warmer than the Moon? (Earth has an atmosphere with greenhouse gases; the Moon does not.)  
  * Which gases act like the container in this analogy? (Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor.)  
  * What human activities increase greenhouse gas levels? (Energy production, transportation, agriculture, and industry.)