What Is Air Pressure?
The weight of the air above pressing down on everything. It is about 14.7 pounds on every square inch at sea level and drops as you go up. In technical terms: The force per unit area exerted by the atmosphere, equal in hydrostatic balance to the weight of the overlying air column; mean sea-level value is 1013.25 hPa (29.92 inHg), decreasing roughly exponentially with height with a scale height near 8 km.
Also called: Atmospheric Pressure, Barometric Pressure
Air Pressure In Plain English
The weight of the air above pressing down on everything. It is about 14.7 pounds on every square inch at sea level and drops as you go up.
The Technical Definition
The force per unit area exerted by the atmosphere, equal in hydrostatic balance to the weight of the overlying air column; mean sea-level value is 1013.25 hPa (29.92 inHg), decreasing roughly exponentially with height with a scale height near 8 km.
Lessons That Use Air Pressure
- Air Pressure And How We Measure It Unit 1: The Atmosphere
