What would happen if the atmosphere didn't exist?

Answer 1

1.What would happen to the earth's atmosphere if the atmosphere didn't exist?

2.How do atmospheres form?

3.In an airplane, what happens when the pressure inside your ear is the same as the pressure outside? Why does this happen?

4.Why does water boil easily on mountains?

5.If mountains are closer to the sun, why is it colder on top of a mountain than down below?

6.Why do spacecraft have to re-enter the atmosphere at just the right angle and speed?

7.Shooting stars are not really stars but a meteorite burning up in the _________ layer? Answer... 1) If there was no atmosphere, our oceans would dry up and boil away. We would all die without oxygen, and we would be bombarded with UV levels that would kill everything.

2) Atmospheres form during the creation of a planet. It is left over gases trapped by the planets magnetism and gravity.

3) This is what happens when your ears pop. It happens because the further you rise in the atmosphere less of the atmosphere is pushing down on you (yes air weighs something. It is the definition of ATM and it is roughly equal to 14.7 lb per square inch at sea level). Since there is less pressure pushing down on you, the air in your ear pushes out on your ear drum. The pop you experience is you releasing the air from behind the ear drum.

4) Water boils more easily on mountains because again, air pressure. Without so much pressure pushing against molecules, they are more easily excited and released into the atmosphere.

5) Most of the heat we experience actually comes up from below us. Land masses give off lots of heat and so does the water we are close to.

6) Spacecraft have to enter at a single angle because if they come in too steep they get too much friction and burn up because of the heat that friction produces. If they come in too shallow, they are not able to get into the atmosphere and they skip right off (much like a rock skips on water when thrown at an angle too shallow)

7) This is actually a poorly worded and trick question because the definition of a meteorite is a chunk of rock that actually made it through the atmosphere and hit earth. (for instance in the south west US where you can find meteorites everywhere). But some "meteors" can start burning up in the Exosphere, Thermosphere, Mesosphere, and most of all stratosphere (layers moving from the outermost to the innermost levels respectively)

I hope you learned something from all this. Enjoy!