Visible light is one part of electromagnetic radiation. The Sun supplies mainly shorter-wavelength energy; Earth emits longer-wave infrared. An electric dipole is a separation of positive and negative charge. N2 and O2 each contain two identical atoms. Their ordinary stretching keeps the charge distribution symmetric. It lacks the changing electric dipole needed for strong direct thermal-infrared absorption. CO2 has infrared-active bends and asymmetric stretching that change its electric dipole. CO2, CH4, N2O and H2O absorb in relevant infrared bands. Ordinary N2 and O2 are weak direct absorbers of Earth's thermal infrared, not molecules incapable of vibrating. Safety: No chemicals, fuel, heat or infrared devices. Cards are models, not measurements. Stop: Stop at the paper mechanism. No gas generation, lamps, spectroscopy, jars, or molecular experiment.

Materials: Paper; Pencil; Six torn paper cards 1. Draw a wavelength strip ordered Shorter to longer: ultraviolet, visible, infrared. Mark Solar energy mostly shorter-wave and Earth’s thermal emission long-wave infrared. These are broad, overlapping spectra, not two single colours. 2. Make six cards: CO2, CH4, N2O and H2O greenhouse gases; N2 and O2 weak direct thermal-infrared absorbers. Sketch O=C=O straight, then bent. Beside it sketch N—N and O—O stretching without losing their symmetric charge distribution. Label CO2 bend: changing electric dipole. Label all sketches schematic, not atom sizes. 3. Draw an infrared arrow from Earth to a greenhouse-gas card and outgoing arrows in different directions, including toward Earth and space. Write Absorption and emission can exchange energy with molecular motion; collisions also exchange energy. Do not imply each molecule immediately returns the same ray downward. 4. Copy a supplied equal-mass comparison using 100-year warming potentials: CO2 1; methane 28; nitrous oxide 265. These are one published accounting set, not eternal constants. Rank these three and explain why the comparison requires equal mass and a time horizon. Water vapour is not assigned a value here; its climate role is largely feedback. 5. Explain why the CO2 bend interacts with thermal infrared differently from ordinary N2 and O2 stretching. Name the changing charge pattern, not a lack of vibration. Write one natural-effect and one human-enhanced-effect sentence. Include fossil-fuel CO2 input and why potency per mass alone does not determine total warming. Done: Complete the spectrum strip, six cards, molecular/radiation sketches, ranked comparison and natural/enhanced sentences. Include the named CO2-versus-N2/O2 charge explanation. Proof: Keep diagrams, the molecular charge comparison and the gas ranking. Note adult help with formulas, vocabulary, ranking or interpretation. Stop: Stop at the paper mechanism. No gas generation, lamps, spectroscopy, jars, or molecular experiment.