In this video, Sabine Hossenfolder says she had misunderstood how the effect really works. From watching this video, I had a vague understanding of how the effect really works. But now, I am posting about it, with a more complete understanding of how it really works.
Here is my take, inspired by the song, ‘I know an old lady who swallowed a fly’
The new song will be called, ‘Radiation energy is absorbed by atmospheric gases’.
But first, Max Planck and his constant.
This PBS Space Time video explains how Max Planck solved the ultraviolet catastrophe: Heat is the energy in the random motion of particles in an object. Everything in the universe glows with the light of its own internal heat. The hotter an object, the faster its particles jiggle – so the frequency of the light (photons) emitted increases with temperature / brightness.
In the graph above, the vertical axis gives the intensity – temperature is proportional to brightness. The horizontal axis gives the wavelength. The black curve shows intensity being inversely proportional to wavelength: at smaller and smaller wavelengths (ultraviolet) the black curve would seem to go to infinity. However, that is not the case. Actually the (colored) curves go to zero at very small wavelengths.
Getting curves that go to zero at very small wavelengths, Max Planck used a trick -what if the energies were quantized? In classical physics, everything can be infinitely divided, but in reality, space is made up of multiples of the Planck constant. This limits the amounts of energy high-frequency vibrations could emit.
Thus, we have these graphs of light intensity against wavelength that look like mountains.
Here is my new song. Forgive my nerdy sound.
Radiation energy is absorbed by atmospheric gases.
They emit radiation. They heat the planets. Long live the masses.
CO2 molecules absorb radiation in the infrared spectrum
that wiggle and jiggle inside them.
They emit radiation. They heat the planets. Long live the masses.
The temperature of the radiation
balances energy that comes from the sun.
CO2 molecules absorb radiation in the infrared spectrum
that wiggle and jiggle inside them.
They emit radiation. They heat the planets. Long live the masses.
Going up in altitude the temperature decreases.
Out to space, useful energy ceases.
The temperature of the radiation
balances energy that comes from the sun.
CO2 molecules absorb radiation in the infrared spectrum.
That wiggle and jiggle inside them.
They emit radiation. They heat the planets. Long live the masses.
Adding CO2 molecules reduces
radiation in an increasing range of wavelengths.
Going up in altitude the temperature decreases.
Out to space, the energy ceases.
The temperature of the radiation
balances energy that comes from the sun.
CO2 molecules absorb radiation in the infrared spectrum
that wiggle and jiggle inside them.
They emit radiation. They heat the planets. Long live the masses.