Esmeralda Vidovich

September 28,2015
Phy 300L
Report: Atmospheric Pressure
Purpose: To investigate how the role of the pressure of the atmosphere is manifested in everyday
phenomena.
Materials: Pie-pan, candle, beaker, straw, newspaper.
Procedure Questions:
Question #1
a. Why does the flame go out?
-The flame goes out because it uses all the oxygen.
b. As the flame goes out, what happens to the temperature and the pressure of the gas
inside?
-The temperature and the pressure of the gas inside increases.
c. What is forcing the water level to rise in the beaker?
-Once the gases cool off to room temperature, the water level rises.
d. When the water stopped rising, how does the pressure at the bottom of the beaker
compare to that of the rest of the water at the same level?
-The gases have lower pressure inside the glass when compared to the higher atmospheric
pressure on the outside if the glass. This higher atmospheric pressure from the outside
pushes the water from the plate up and into the glass.
Question #2
Which paper was harder to lift quickly? Explain the physical reason.
-The paper that was harder to lift was the newspaper that was folded to a size of about 9 square
inches. The reason why is because of same mass over smaller area.
Questions:

1. Mercury has a density of 13.6 gram per cubic centimeter, whereas the density of water is
1 gram per cubic centimeter. The pressure of the atmosphere is high enough to push
mercury 73 cm up through a vacuum tube. How high can a column of water be pushed up
in a vacuum tube by the atmosphere? If a farm-type old fashioned vacuum pump were
used to draw from a well, what would be the maximum depth of the well?
2. The front and back sides of a person has an area of 900 square inches each side.
What is the total force of the atmosphere pressing on this person from the front
side? Explain why our bodies are not crushed by the pressure of the atmosphere.
-The total surface area is 1800 square inches. As long as pressure changes slowly, our
body can adapt to a pretty wide range of pressure.
3. To reduce the glare of the sun, mylar films are often installed on the windows. No
adhesives are needed in the installation. What keeps the film firmly attached to the
window?