Air Pressure

1. Falling air pressure causes pain in birds’ ears, so if birds are flying low to the ground it means a
thunderstorm is coming
2. Weather and air pressure
 You can predict the weather by looking at your coffee. High air pressure is an indicator of
sunny weather, which will push the bubbles to the edge of your cup. Rain is likely if the
bubbles go towards the centre.
 Rising air is associated with cloud formation and precipitation, whereas sinking air produces
clear sky.
 If the air molecules move faster (higher pressure), they bump into each other harder and
more often. This happens when the temperature of air is increased. Warm air molecules
have more energy, so they move faster and create more pressure. Likewise, cold air has less
energy and therefore exerts less pressure on its surroundings.

3. a. Why is it important to have vehicle’s tyres properly inflated?

 If the tyre is not inflated, there will be no support for the weight of the car
 Thus, friction between the tyre and the ground will be high. The vehicle cannot run
 Over-inflating tires causes the sidewalls and tread of the tire to become harder than
normal. This can reduce the traction and performance of the tire, as well as cause uneven
tire wear. When the pressure is increased beyond the recommended pressure, the
contact patch of the tire actually shrinks.
b. Why is it impossible to inflate an automobile tyre just blowing air into it with mouth?
 The air pressure inside the tyre is much higher than in the mouth
 Human don’t have the strength to overcome the pressure
 So, a device with higher pressure is needed
4. Tyre-pressure gauge
 As the pressure gauge is coupled to the valve stem of the tyre, pressurized air enters the
piston and starts to expand.
 When this happens, the air pressure applied on the piston of the gauge determines it to
move in such a way that the volume of the cylinder increases. In order to keep the
piston from suddenly moving to the far end of the cylinder, a spring must be used in
order to balance the force of the air pressure inside the cylinder by pushing against the
piston with equal force from the other side.

© Eric K. limited 280917 1

  When a balance between the two forces acting on the piston is achieved, the value of
the pressure in the tyre can be read on the calibrated rod which moves simultaneously
with the piston.
5. Pressure cooker
 Pressure-cooking is a cooking method that uses steam sealed in a pressure cooker,
which is a special airtight cooking pot. Sealing a liquid such as water, wine, stock or
broth in a pressure cooker traps the vapour that rises from the liquid. This in turn raises
the pressure inside the pressure cooker along with the maximum temperature that the
liquid can reach. The increased temperature and pressure significantly speed up the
cooking process. The pressure infuses the hot steam into the food. Pressure-cooking
can cook foods in 1/3 the ordinary time on average and often over 10 times faster.
Compared to a microwave, the food tastes considerably better and compared to slow
cooker, only takes a fraction of the time.
 The rubber ring that goes between the pot and the lid ensures that no air escapes from
inside the container; if it did then the pressure would not be able to build up.
 The valve on the top is a safety measure that makes sure the pressure does not build up
to dangerous levels inside the pot. This could lead to a potentially dangerous explosion.
It is designed to allow some of the steam to escape after the pressure inside reaches a
certain point. And with that startling whistle we know how much the food has been
cooked.
Why doesn’t the food come out all smashed?
 The steam apply uniform pressure to all the surfaces of the food
6. Hydraulic Press
 The piston in this cylinder is pushed so that it compresses the fluid in it that flows
through a pipe into the larger cylinder. The larger cylinder is known as the master
cylinder. The pressure is exerted on the larger cylinder and the piston in the master
cylinder pushes the fluid back to the original cylinder.
 The force applied on the fluids by the smaller cylinder results in a larger force when
pushed in the master cylinder. The hydraulic press is mostly used for industrial purposes
where a large pressure is required for compressing metals into thin sheets. An industrial
hydraulic press uses the material to be worked upon along with the help of the press
plates to crush or punch the material into a thin sheet.
Usage:
 For crushing cars
 Fat-free cocoa powder
 For sword making
Benefits:
 Unlike their mechanical counterparts, hydraulic presses can compress any material to a
full extent. Also, hydraulic presses take only half of the space that the mechanical ones
take because they have the ability to compress a large pressure in a cylinder having a
less diameter.

© Eric K. limited 280917 2