Science Snippet

Each gallon of gasoline in your car’s tank weighs 6.3 pounds. The combustion of this gasoline requires oxygen, and the result of the many tiny explosions that drive the pistons that drive your car results in the release of carbon dioxide (one carbon atom plus two oxygen atoms). If each gallon of gasoline weighs 6.3 pounds, what is the weight of the carbon dioxide exiting your exhaust pipe for every gallon you burn? You can guess: is it 5, 10 or 20 pounds? If you guessed 20 pounds, you would be correct. When your car’s carbon dioxide is added to that produced by coal and natural gas plants, and other sources, it amounts to 19 tons of carbon dioxide released per American per year. (Bob Schildgen in Sierra Magazine, Jan./Feb., 2014)

Paul Burton is Professor Emeritus in cell biology from the U. of Kansas and a distinguished alumnus from Western Carolina U. A writer/photographer, he has lived in Ephraim for 20 years.