Molecules and light – rotate, vibrate, glow, break apart
Integrated ScienceLight & SoundAges 14–15
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Sign in to playFire microwave, infrared, visible or ultraviolet photons at individual gas molecules (CO, N2, O2, CO2, H2O, NO2, O3) and watch the molecule rotate, vibrate, glow, break apart or let the photon pass straight through, depending on the energy of the light and the structure of the molecule. The Many molecules screen shows why greenhouse gases (CO2, H2O) scatter infrared back while N2 and O2 let it through. Based on the "Molecules and Light" simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder (CC BY 4.0); rewritten.
Lesson: Earth's energy balance and fossil fuels
How to use
Parameters you can change
- Screen Single molecule, Many molecules
- Light source Microwave, Infrared, Visible light, Ultraviolet
- Molecule CO (Carbon monoxide), N2 (Nitrogen), O2 (Oxygen), CO2 (Carbon dioxide), H2O (Water), NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide), O3 (Ozone)
- Number of molecules (Many molecules screen) 1–8
- Show energy scale
