Gary McConkey from Knightdale, N.C., writes: I often park my car
in the sun. When I get back inside, it feels warmer than the
outside temperature. Why is that? This is a good example of the
“greenhouse effect,” which is essential to life on Earth.
Without it, our planet wouldn’t be warm enough for living things
to survive. In the case of a car, the sun’s rays enter through
the window glass. Some of the heat is absorbed by interior
components, such as the dashboard, seats, and carpeting. But the
heat they radiate is a different wavelength from the rays of the
sun that got through the glass, and it doesn’t let as much of
the rays pass back out. As a result, more energy goes into the
car than goes out, and the inside temperature increases.