Name _________________________
Per_____
Air Pressure, Density, and Altitude
Altitude: ________________________________________________________
Air Pressure: ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Air Density: _______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
More Dense Air
Less Dense Air
Virtual Lab
Problem: How do pressure and density change as altitude increases?
Hypothesis: If altitude increases, pressure will _________________________.
If altitude increases, density will __________________________.
1. Record in the data table the Atmospheric Data at sea level – Density, Pressure,
and Temperature.
2. Drag the red slider along the altitude measurement bar and select an altitude of
10 km.
3. Click launch.
4. Observe and record the atmospheric data at 10 km in the data table.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for the following altitudes:
25 km, 50 km, 75 km, 100 km, 150 km, 200 km, and 400 km
6. If the show phenomenon button is enabled click it to learn about a phenomenon
that occurs at or near that selected altitude. Click its label to see it again.
Altitude (km)
Density
Pressure
(% of sea level
density)
(Pa)
Temperature
(Celsius)
0
10
25
50
75
100
150
200
1. Which layer of the atmosphere do you live in? What kinds of meteorological
phenomena can be found in this layer? _________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2. If a rocket were launched to a height of 210 km, what layer of the atmosphere
would it be in? What kinds of meteorological phenomena might the rocket
encounter in this layer?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. What is the ozone layer? In which layer of the atmosphere is it found? What is
the importance of the ozone layer to life on Earth?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4. Describe what happens to air density as you increase altitude.
___________________________________________________________________
5. Describe what happens to air pressure as you increase altitude.
___________________________________________________________________
6. The closer you are to earth the stronger the pull of gravity on you. Where does air
experience the greatest gravitational pull? Circle one. Troposphere or thermosphere