Investigate what is pushing on us. An intriguing lesson has pupils calculate the amount of force on various squares due to air pressure. Using the data, individuals create a graph in the third lesson of the Up, Up and Away unit containing 22 lessons.

Concepts

air pressure, air, the atmosphere, force, pressure, atmospheric pressure, weight, technology resources

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Additional Tags

air pressure, atmosphere, bernouli's principle

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Instructional Ideas

• Conduct a demonstration to show that air has weight
• Lead a discussion on whether class members have been in an airplane and had their ears pop and why

Classroom Considerations

• Assumes the class knows how to calculate area

Pros

• Includes answers for the handout and questions from the lesson
• Contains suggestions for extensions

Cons

• None

Common Core

6.NS.B.2 6.EE.B.7