Investigating Indoor Carbon Dioxide Concentrations
Introduction
Carbon dioxide is a colorless and odorless gas. It has many important uses. It is the fizz in soft drinks, beer, and sparkling wines. Carbon dioxide is released by baking powder of yeast to make cake batter rise. It is used in some fire extinguishers. Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a product in cellular respiration and a reactant in photosynthesis.
But too much of a good thing, like carbon dioxide, can be bad. Carbon dioxide concentration is a surrogate for indoor pollutants that can cause drowsiness, headaches, and lower activity levels. CO2 levels less than 600 ppm are desirable, and levels greater than 1000 ppm are generally considered indicative of inadequate ventilation. Levels of 2,500 ppm or greater can cause headaches. Unfortunately, studies indicate that many classrooms have peak CO2 levels in excess of 2,500 ppm.
Objectives
In the Preliminary Activity, you will gain experience using a CO2 Gas Sensor while monitoring the carbon dioxide concentration in the classroom.
After completing the Preliminary Activity, you will first use reference sources to find out more about carbon dioxide before you then choose and investigate a researchable question dealing with indoor carbon dioxide.
Sensors and Equipment
This investigation requires each of the following Vernier sensors and equipment (unless otherwise noted):
Additional Requirements
You may also need an interface and software for data collection. What do I need for data collection?
Download Experiment Preview
The student-version preview includes:
- Step-by-step instructions for the Preliminary Activity
- List of materials and equipment
Note: The experiment preview of the Preliminary Activity does not include essential teacher information, safety tips, or sample data. Instructions for Logger Pro and other software (such as LabQuest App or TI handheld software, where available) are on the CD that accompanies the book. We strongly recommend that you purchase the book before performing experiments.
Standards Correlations
See all standards correlations for Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry »
Experiment 33 from Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry Lab Book
Included in the Lab Book
Vernier lab books include a CD with word-processing files of the student instructions, essential teacher information, suggested answers, sample data and graphs, and more.