WHY

Lets Investigate

Questions
What is in the plastic bottle and in the
tube?
What happens to the rubber sheet?
What pushes the rubber sheet?

What really happened

Before heating

While heating

We found out that

While cooling

Key Ideas
Objects on Earth are
surrounded by air.
The air that
surrounds us
(atmosphere) exerts
force at a certain
surface area, hence
AIR EXERTS
PRESSURE

Atmospheric Pressure
Also commonly known as air pressure
Defined as the pressure exerted by the
weight of air above
Force exerted against a surface by
continuous collision of gas molecules

How strong is air

pressure?
About 1 kg/cm2
14 pounds per
square inch

If air exerts pressure,

then why do objects on
Earth dont crush or
collapse?

How is air pressure

measured?

Evangelista Torricelli
An Italian scientist
who invented the
first mercurial
barometer an
instrument used to
measure
atmospheric
pressure

 When atmospheric
pressure is higher,
the mercury
column is pushed
taller.
When atmospheric
pressure is lower,
the height of the
column of mercury
drops.

Mercury barometer

76 cm of mercury
Normal atmospheric
pressure
1 atmosphere (1 atm)

Aneroid Barometer
A portable device
that can measure
atmospheric
pressure
Contains a metal
device that is
sensitive to
pressure
difference

 The higher
the elevation
above the
surface, the
lower the
pressure.
The lower the
elevation, the
higher the
pressure.

Atmospheric
pressure
variation
with
altitude

One half of the

atmosphere lies
below an altitude of
5.5 km

So far, we learned
that
Air exerts pressure (atmospheric
pressure)
Air pressure can be measured using
barometers (mercurial or aneroid).
Air pressure varies inversely with
altitude.

Why air pressure matt

ers?

Did you learn?

LETS SEE

Always remember
that
Air exerts pressure (atmospheric
pressure)
Air pressure can be measured using
barometers (mercurial or aneroid).
Air pressure varies inversely with
altitude.
Knowledge of air pressure is important in
dealing with some daily activities such as
weather forecasting, cooking and others.