Air
pressure |
Air
is made up of different tiny molecules. These molecules constantly collide
with surfaces. The surface of your skin sustains billions of collisions
every second. The molecules are so small that we hardly feel the impacts.
Take a glass window for example, the number of collisions on the outside
of the window equal the number of collisions on the inside. This balance
prevents the glass from being smashed by the air pressure. Conduct the
following demonstration where the number of collisions on the outside
of the can far exceed those on the inside.
|
As the water is heated in the can, steam displaces all the air inside. Water molecules now totally take over the interior of the can. Explain what happens to crush the can when it is placed in the water. Use the words molecules, collisions, condensation, vacuum, air pressure. |
Continue
with air pressure and Bernoulli's Law. |