Message-Id: <3.0.3.32.19980401060613.0069fe70@mail.walltech.com>
Date: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 06:06:13 -0600
To: pinhole@exploratorium.edu
From: geoff ruth <geoffr@eastside.org>
Subject: Air pressure
I have a question about air pressure. I've told my students that we can't
feel the 14.7psi of air pressure at sea level because we're used to -- that
it's always a constant pressure on our bodies that we don't even notice. So
they cleverly asked why it is that you don't feel different if you go to a
high elevation -- if a mountain climber climbs a very high mountain and
rises above 1/2 the atmosphere (or 1/2 the air pressure) why doesn't s/he
feel only half the pressure?
Geoff Ruth
Eastside School
2101 Pulgas Avenue
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 323-5898