Significance of the Scientific Background of Air Pressure

Ever wonder what significance anything to do with air pressure has in your life? In my experiences (prior to my first year in high school in which I took my first course of chemistry), the answer to that question would be “little to nothing”. Let’s face it, levels of deeper science that exists past the first entry level high school science biology class may seem irrelevant or unnecessary unless your day-to-day profession involves aerodynamics, pressurized tanks, or whatever else that may seem in that nature - but taking a moment to analyze where a deeper scientific understanding is valuable can bring a variety of benefits, whether that involves your driving habits or your daughter's balloons at her birthday party.

In the GIF animation to the right, a balloon is demonstrated to be heated up above a hot plate after it had just been placed in ice water. Due to the heat from the hot plate, the molecules of gas inside the balloon travel faster and hit the walls of the container more frequently. This build up of internal pressure causes the volume of the balloon to increase. Because of this, the balloon will ascend. In a similar (but more of an opposite) situation, if the balloon had been placed in ice water (or some other substance that is of a cold nature; cold wind, water, my heart, etc.), the air molecules inside the balloon would travel slower than before and would hit the inside of the balloon less frequently, and would result in a volume decrease and a lower internal pressure.

In the real world, many people are likely to wonder, “What significance does stuff like this even have? I won’t ever use this information in real life so what’s the point of including it high school education?” Although it might take a moment to realize where this subject is actually applicable, it is certainly applicable with day-to-day activities - it only takes a few moments of thought to see where. Here, we have an example of an application of this scientific concept that occurs in day-to-day life:

As soon as the weather starts getting cold, you may realize your tires might be low on air pressure. On the flip side, you’ll find that when the temperature outside is fairly high, your tires might actually be a little overinflated. This is because as the internal temperature of the container rises, the molecules of gas are traveling faster and are hitting the walls of the container more frequently. This results in a higher pressure and a greater volume. This is life skill is actually pretty necessary because as many know, when car tires are under the recommended inflation requirements, cars suffer worse gas mileage. For the sake of your wallet, please pay attention in high school science classes.