P1.3.3 - Atmospheric Pressure Flashcards
What does the atmosphere do?
Protect the Earth
What is the atmosphere?
A single layer of gas that covers the earth to the height of around 700km
What do scientists assume in the simplest model of the atmosphere?
The density of the atmosphere is same in all parts of it
What is atmospheric pressure?
The pressure that the gases of the atmosphere exert
What is the atmospheric pressure on the surface of the Earth?
About 100,000 Pa or 100kPa
100,000N of force on each square metre of the Earth’s surface
What happens before and after you pump the air out of a can?
Before - The forces on the can are equal in all directions so the shape doesn’t change
After - The can collapses as the forces aren’t equal
What happens to atmospheric pressure as you go up?
It decreases as there is less air above pushing you down
