Air Pressure
Air pressure is pushing on us all the time although we do not usually notice it. In this activity, students learn about the units of pressure and get a sense of just how much air pressure is pushing on them.
The air pressure exerted on this aircraft enables it to stay in the air.Copyright 2010 Afghanistan Matters, Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sunset_Takeoff_(4292024430).jpg
Engineers take into consideration the existence of ambient air pressure in the design of everything from airplanes to chemicals. The weight of air is an important factor when developing the structure of aircraft and spacecraft. Environmental engineers pay careful attention to air pressure when designing wind turbines. Chemical engineers need to know how a chemical reacts in different air pressures. When designing anything that moves through the air, engineers analyze it to see how it reacts to air pressure.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Explain that the atmosphere exerts a pressure on objects.
- Describe how the pressure of the atmosphere changes depending on where it is being measured (e.g., Denver or Boston), due to differences in altitude.
- Use algebraic methods to explore values of air pressure.
- Describe how engineers, when designing anything that moves through the air, must analyze it to see how it reacts to the air pressure.