IB Physics Quiz: Understand Greenhouse Effect

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Understand Greenhouse Effect, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for IB Physics.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

Question 1

1. $\sqrt[4]{\frac{0.27}{0.30}}$
2. $\sqrt[4]{\frac{0.70}{0.73}}$
3. $\sqrt[4]{\frac{0.73}{0.70}}$ (correct answer)
4. $\sqrt[4]{\frac{0.30}{0.27}}$

Question 2

1. The rate of energy absorbed from the Sun decreases, and the rate of energy radiated to space remains the same.
2. The rate of energy absorbed from the Sun remains the same, and the rate of energy radiated to space decreases. (correct answer)
3. The rate of energy absorbed from the Sun and the rate of energy radiated to space both increase by the same amount.
4. The rate of energy absorbed from the Sun remains the same, and the rate of energy radiated to space increases.

Question 3

1. The temperature would decrease because the planet radiates energy more efficiently.
2. The temperature would decrease because emissivity is directly proportional to temperature in the Stefan-Boltzmann law.
3. The temperature would increase because the planet radiates energy less efficiently. (correct answer)
4. The temperature would not change, as emissivity only affects the peak wavelength of emitted radiation.

Question 4

1. $100\ \text{W m}^{-2}$
2. $500\ \text{W m}^{-2}$
3. $400\ \text{W m}^{-2}$
4. $300\ \text{W m}^{-2}$ (correct answer)

Question 5

1. $T_X < T_Y$ because the CO₂ atmosphere reflects a large fraction of the incoming solar energy.
2. $T_X = T_Y$ because the lack of an atmosphere on Planet Y is compensated for by a higher surface emissivity.
3. $T_X = T_Y$ because both planets have the same albedo and therefore absorb the same amount of solar energy.
4. $T_X > T_Y$ because the CO₂ atmosphere absorbs and re-radiates outgoing thermal radiation. (correct answer)

Question 6

1. The temperature will increase because the reduced emissivity traps more heat than the increased albedo reflects.
2. The temperature will decrease because the increased albedo reflects more energy than the reduced emissivity can trap.
3. The temperature will remain the same because the effects of changing albedo and emissivity will cancel each other out.
4. The effect on temperature cannot be determined without knowing the relative magnitudes of the changes in albedo and emissivity. (correct answer)

Question 7

1. $16S$
2. $4S$
3. $S/4$
4. $S/16$ (correct answer)

Question 8

1. Greenhouse gases absorb outgoing thermal radiation and re-radiate it in all directions, including back towards the surface. (correct answer)
2. The student's description is accurate; the atmosphere primarily reduces heat loss from the surface due to convection.
3. Greenhouse gases catalyze exothermic chemical reactions in the stratosphere that generate heat and radiate it downwards.
4. The atmosphere has a high specific heat capacity, allowing it to store large amounts of heat energy from the sun during the day.

Question 9

1. Greenhouse gases are transparent to the peak short-wavelength radiation from the Sun but absorb the peak long-wavelength radiation from the Earth. (correct answer)
2. Greenhouse gases absorb the high-energy radiation from the Sun in the stratosphere, which is the primary mechanism of the greenhouse effect.
3. The Earth's lower temperature means it emits radiation that travels more slowly through the atmosphere, allowing it to be absorbed.
4. The Sun's higher temperature produces radiation that is reflected by greenhouse gases, while the Earth's radiation is transmitted through them.

Question 10

1. $\sqrt[4]{1/4}$ (correct answer)
2. $\sqrt[4]{1/2}$
3. 1
4. $\sqrt[4]{2}$

Question 11

1. Albedo would decrease, leading to a negative feedback loop that slows the rate of warming.
2. Albedo would decrease, leading to a positive feedback loop that increases the rate of warming. (correct answer)
3. Albedo would increase, leading to a negative feedback loop that slows the rate of warming.
4. Albedo would increase, leading to a positive feedback loop that increases the rate of warming.

Question 12

1. Higher nighttime $CO_2$ concentrations result from reduced photosynthetic uptake and continued respiratory release, and these elevated levels enhance local greenhouse warming that moderates nighttime cooling. (correct answer)
2. Elevated $CO_2$ levels indicate reduced wind mixing, which also traps warm air near the surface and prevents heat loss through convective processes.
3. High $CO_2$ concentrations promote increased plant respiration rates, which release additional heat energy and warm the local environment through biological processes.
4. The correlation between $CO_2$ and temperature moderation results from both being controlled by atmospheric stability, rather than $CO_2$ directly causing the temperature effects.

Question 13

1. Ice-albedo feedback dominates since surface albedo changes from ice (0.7) to water (0.1) greatly increase absorbed solar radiation, while water vapor effects are minimal at cold temperatures.
2. Water vapor feedback becomes primary since increased atmospheric humidity enhances longwave absorption, which is more important than solar effects during polar night periods.
3. Both mechanisms amplify warming: reduced ice cover decreases albedo increasing solar absorption, while increased water vapor enhances longwave absorption, creating positive feedback. (correct answer)
4. The effects largely cancel since reduced albedo increases warming, but increased water vapor creates more clouds that reflect solar radiation and reduce net warming.

Question 14

1. Water vapor acts as a greenhouse gas by absorbing outgoing longwave radiation and re-emitting a portion back toward the surface, reducing the net radiative cooling rate during humid conditions. (correct answer)
2. High humidity increases atmospheric pressure, which compresses the air column and raises temperature through adiabatic heating effects that counteract radiative cooling.
3. Water vapor has a higher heat capacity than dry air, allowing the atmosphere to store more thermal energy during the day and release it gradually at night.
4. Humid air has greater thermal conductivity than dry air, promoting more efficient heat transfer from the ground to the atmosphere and maintaining warmer surface temperatures.

Question 15

1. The 33°C difference demonstrates that greenhouse gases provide the dominant warming effect, while non-greenhouse gases contribute primarily through pressure-induced warming and atmospheric heat capacity effects.
2. The calculation confirms that atmospheric pressure from all gases creates adiabatic compression warming, but greenhouse gases provide additional warming through selective absorption of longwave radiation.
3. The 33°C greenhouse warming results from the combined radiative effects of trace gases, while major atmospheric components provide thermal inertia that stabilizes temperature fluctuations.
4. The comparison shows that while non-greenhouse gases determine atmospheric pressure and basic thermal properties, greenhouse gases control the radiative balance that determines equilibrium temperature. (correct answer)

Question 16

1. Translational kinetic energy
2. Vibrational and rotational energy (correct answer)
3. Electronic excitation energy
4. Nuclear binding energy

Question 17

1. The intensity of electromagnetic radiation reflected by the planet to the total intensity of electromagnetic radiation incident on the planet. (correct answer)
2. The total power absorbed by the planet to the total power emitted by the planet.
3. The average surface temperature of the planet to the temperature of an ideal black body at the same location.
4. The power radiated by the planet in the infrared spectrum to the power absorbed by the planet in the visible spectrum.

Question 18

1. Methane molecules are heavier than nitrogen molecules, allowing them to trap a greater amount of heat energy.
2. Methane has molecular vibrational energy levels that correspond to the frequencies of infrared radiation emitted by the Earth, while nitrogen does not. (correct answer)
3. Methane is found only in the troposphere where the greenhouse effect occurs, whereas nitrogen is primarily in the stratosphere.
4. Methane molecules have a higher specific heat capacity than nitrogen molecules, enabling them to store thermal energy more effectively.

Question 19

1. A molecule of methane is less effective at absorbing infrared radiation than a molecule of carbon dioxide, but its atmospheric concentration is much higher.
2. Methane has a shorter atmospheric lifetime than carbon dioxide, but it is a more potent absorber of infrared radiation per molecule. (correct answer)
3. Both gases absorb infrared radiation with equal effectiveness, but methane is considered more impactful because it has a longer atmospheric lifetime.
4. Carbon dioxide is primarily responsible for the natural greenhouse effect, while methane is solely responsible for the enhanced greenhouse effect.

Question 20

1. A smooth black-body radiation curve that corresponds to the average surface temperature of the Earth.
2. A spectrum with large dips in intensity at specific wavelengths corresponding to the absorption bands of gases like CO₂ and H₂O. (correct answer)
3. A spectrum that is identical to the solar spectrum, indicating that all incoming energy is eventually re-radiated.
4. An emission peak at a wavelength corresponding to the temperature of the cold upper atmosphere rather than the warm surface.