Natures wonders: our atmosphere does not crush us (Introduction)

by David Turell , Sunday, November 24, 2024, 19:02 (2 hours, 26 minutes ago) @ David Turell

Explained:

https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/why-arent-we-crushed-by-the-weight-of-earths-a...

"Air is lighter than our bodies, but all those miles of air in the atmosphere amount to a lot of weight. "The total mass of Earth's atmosphere is 5.1 billion billion kilograms, or 11.24 billion billion pounds," Broccoli told Live Science. When it comes to a cylindrical column of air that is 1 foot (0.3 meters) in diameter, "its mass is 1,663 pounds [754 kilograms]," he said.

"So why aren't people crushed by Earth's atmosphere?

"In part, it comes down to the distribution of the pressure. Air flows around your body. Ultimately, the pressure from air "is exerted uniformly on all parts of a person's body — it is not just a downward force," Broccoli said.

"Still, the pressure the atmosphere exerts uniformly on our bodies is not trivial. It amounts to approximately 14.7 pounds — about the weight of a large bowling ball — per square inch (1 kilogram per square centimeter), Broccoli noted.

"We are not crushed by air pressure because "our bodies have evolved over time to withstand the pressures," said Michael Wood, chair and professor of quantitative sciences at Canisius University in Buffalo, New York. Broccoli added that "the air inside our bodies is at essentially the same pressure pushing outward, making the pressure forces balanced."

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"This internal pressure from our bodies "is one reason why we cannot travel in outer space without a spacesuit," Wood told Live Science. "The pressure in space is essentially zero. Without the air pressure pushing down on the human body, the internal pressure inside the body would make the body inflate like a balloon until the pressure is released.'"

Comment: as sea creatures handle deep sea pressures we handle our air pressure.