For K-12 Students · Energy Balance
Energy Balance for a tectonic plate
Built for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework. Simulate a tectonic plate live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.
Planetary Energy BalanceLive
greenhouse effect · equilibrium temperature
Equilibrium surface temperature
13.7°C
286.9 K
Controls
Presets
A planet warms until it radiates away exactly the sunlight it absorbs. Balancing absorbed power S(1−α)/4 against εσT⁴ gives the equilibrium temperature. An emissivity below 1 represents greenhouse gases trapping outgoing infrared, raising the surface temperature.
Data Inspector
Absorbed power238 W/m²
No-greenhouse T-18.6 °C
Greenhouse warming+32.3 °C
Governing equation
Reading this result: Dropping emissivity below 1 mimics greenhouse gases: they add 32 °C on top of the -19 °C bare-rock temperature.
Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.
More with Energy Balance
Frequently asked questions
- Is this good for k-12 students?
- Yes — this version of "Energy Balance for a tectonic plate" is framed for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.