The air around us seems weightless, but it really is not like that. The air is constituted by an incredible number of molecules and these, however small, have a weight. Scientists say that the weight of the atmosphere That supports our head is the equivalent to that of a small car. So, Why do not we die crushed by the weight of the atmosphere? Accompany us to discover it!
We do not die crushed by the weight of the atmosphere
As we have said, the air molecules that make up the atmosphere, although they are too small for us to see, they have some weight . One by one they have a practically nonexistent weight, but together, at sea level, they cause a pressure on our body equivalent to 10,000 kg. per square meter. About 10 cm. square the pressure is 1,000 kg., that is to say one ton. On top of our head we have an atmospheric pressure equivalent to the weight of a car small ... and yet we do not die crushed by the atmospheric weight .
The answer to this phenomenon is in the balance . The pressure that is in the air from the outside, which forms the atmosphere, is the same as that of the air that is inside our bodies and therefore the force goes in all directions balancing the pressure on our bodies and getting these do not collapse under the weight of the atmosphere. The human body, throughout time, has evolved in accordance with the pressure that the atmosphere constantly exerts on it. If it were an empty shell instead of having muscles, bones, internal organs, blood, etc., it would explode like a can under the pressure of the atmosphere, but the internal and external pressures are similar and it is by this balance that we do not die crushed by the weight of the atmosphere.
The pressure of the air in our stomachs, ears or lungs is the same as that of the air outside of our bodies and this is the guarantee that it does not crush us. To this fact we must add that our bodies are flexible enough to cope with the fact that sometimes internal and external pressures are slightly different. That is what happens when we travel by plane and an artificial atmosphere is created so that the pressure in the cabin is similar to the one we have at sea level. Despite this attempt to pressurize the aircraft cabin, the pressure in this one is not really the same as at sea level. If you drink from a plastic bottle during a flight and replace the cap, it is very possible that when you reach the ground the bottle is crushed. This happens because the air in the bottle is at the pressure of the cabin that is lower than the ground level and because it can not bear it, it shatters. Our bodies often notice this pressure difference in landings and takeoffs in our ears. Our ears are covered and we even feel a pain sometimes intense.
For equalize the pressures we have mechanisms like yawning, sucking a candy, chewing gum or taking out the air while we cover our noses. Have you ever done it? Do you have a trick to combat the difference in pressure? Share it with us! Now that we know why do not we die crushed by the weight of the atmosphere , maybe you want to know: What if the Earth were flat? That would be our life .