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Atmospheric Pressure: Grasping the weight of Earth’s Air column
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- Earth’s atmosphere, which extends for many kilometers above its surface, exerts a pressure on us known as atmospheric pressure.
- This fluid dynamics phenomenon, governed by the weight of the column of air above us and is equivalent to the force of gravity on that column of air.
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Power behind the Rubber Sucker Experiment
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- The rubber sucker experiment demonstrates the strength of atmospheric pressure.
- When the sucker is pressed against a smooth surface, most of the air between the sucker and the surface is forced out.
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The atmospheric pressure
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- The atmospheric pressure outside then presses the sucker against the surface, making it difficult to pull it off.
- If no air were trapped between the sucker and the surface, it would be almost impossible for anyone to pull the sucker off, illustrating the magnitude of atmospheric pressure.
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Magnitude of Atmospheric Pressure and Its impact on the Human body
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- Consider the weight of air in a column that has a base area of 15cm × 15cm and extends up to the height of the atmosphere.
- The force exerted by this air is roughly equivalent to the gravitational force on an object weighing 225kg.
- This force corresponds to a pressure of approximately 2250N.
- Our bodies are adapted to this pressure, and the internal pressure within our bodies balances out the atmospheric pressure, preventing us from being crushed.
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