Increasing the pressure increases the density. Pressure has the opposite effect on air density. In the free atmosphere, the air’s density decreases as the air is heated. As a result, the amount of air in a particular “box” decreases when the air is heated if the air is free to escape from the box. If the heated air is surrounded by nothing but air, it will push the surrounding air aside. If the air is in a balloon, heating it will expand the balloon, cooling it will cause the balloon to shrink as the molecules slow down. As the air is heated, the molecules speed up, which means they push harder against their surroundings. The higher the temperature, the faster the molecules are moving. The molecules of nitrogen, oxygen and other gases that make up air are moving around at incredible speeds, colliding with each other and all other objects. In addition to a basic discussion of air density, we will also describe the effects of lower air density – such as caused by going to high altitudes – on humans, how humidity affects air density – you might be surprised – and the affects of air density of aircraft, baseballs, and even racing cars. We’ll talk about dry air first, which means we’ll be concerned only with temperature and pressure. The air’s density depends on its temperature, its pressure and how much water vapor is in the air. In the metric system, which scientists use, we usually measure density in terms of kilograms per cubic meter. In simple terms, density is the mass of anything – including air – divided by the volume it occupies. Understanding air density and its effects
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