Parts per Million: A Little Is a Lot
Provided by: Paleontological Research Institution|Published on: December 20, 2022|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Type: Videos
Subjects: Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, Health
Authors: Paleontological Research Institution
Location: Earth
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This video demonstrates the concept of PPM and how very small changes in concentration can affect the look, smell, taste, functioning, or quality of an entire system.
- The examples in the video relate to all five of our senses, connect to greenhouse gas emissions, and help them resonate with students.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The length of this video makes it readily usable for typical class times, making it easy to integrate into a variety of lessons.
- The explanations are understandable enough for younger students, and the concepts are subtle enough for older students to take deeper implications.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students need to understand multiplication, division, and powers of ten.
Differentiation
- There is more detailed information included in the examples (such as chemical formulas) that older students can use for practice with substrates, products, and converting units.
- Classes can replicate some of the examples in the video as a lab or do similar experiments to explore ppm.
- Biology classes can connect this topic to the evolutionary reason for our sense of smell being so powerful or why small differences in molecular weight can make a big difference in processes such as photosynthesis or cellular respiration for some organisms.
- Chemistry classes can examine why these small changes in greenhouse gas concentrations can make such a large difference in global climate conditions.
- Younger students can focus on the main ideas presented and use it as a guide for classroom lab experiments.
The video shares good examples to aid our understanding of ppm and the impact a part can do to an entire system. This is critical given how the atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased due to human activities. It draws our attention to change our behavior towards a better and net-zero world. This resource is ideal for classroom.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
