Air Pressure What is Air Pressure? The weight of the air pushing down on us and everything else...
Transcript of Air Pressure What is Air Pressure? The weight of the air pushing down on us and everything else...
What is Air Pressure?
• The weight of the air pushing down on us and everything else around us.
• Happens because of the gravitational pull.
Air Pressure
• Air pushes on you with a force of 14.7 pounds per square inch. The force on 1,000 square centimeters (a little larger than a square foot) is about a ton!
Why doesn't all that pressure squash me? • Remember that you have air inside your
body too, that air balances out the pressure outside so you stay nice and firm and not squishy.
HIGH & LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS
HIGH PRESSURE
• Cold• Dry• Sinking air• Clockwise
rotation
LOW PRESSURE
• Warm• Moist• Rising air• Counterclockwi
se rotation
Cold, dry air = higher pressure (heavier) Molecules spread out;
Fewer molecules in a certain space
Molecules crowd together;More molecules in
a certain space
Compare Warm Air and Cold AirWarm, moist air = lower pressure (lighter)
How does air pressure relate to weather?
• Helps to determine if there will be rain or sunny skies; cold or hot air; etc…
Low Pressure systems
• Warm • Humid• Rainy• Cloudy weather• Thunderstorms• Severe weather• The warm air rises, condenses, forms clouds
and rains!
Front Animations
• Cold Front• Warm Front• Stationary Front• Occluded Front