Why does air pressure decrease when temperature decreases?

Answer 1

In warm air, molecules are spaced farther apart. As air cools, molecular activity and movement slows down which cause compaction of the molecules. The increased density of air in the same space automatically increases the overall weight. That is why warmer air layers over cold air because the cold air is 'heavier' and sinks to the ground while the 'lighter', warm air rises.

Answer 2

The temperature of the air affects the rate that pressure decreases as you move upward in the atmosphere. Colder air is denser. The molecules of air are more closely packed. As a result, pressure decreases more rapidly as you ascend through cold air than in warmer temperatures

Answer 3

This behavior relates to Charles Law of Gases (Gay-Lussac's Law also applies in terms of pressure changes in a rigid container). You may have noticed that car tires and balloons shrink in cold weather. This is due to the molecular motion of gas particles. The gas particles slow down as temperature decreases. This, in turn, decreases their force exerted on the container walls and surrounding particles. The reverse is also true if temperature is increased.

YouTube has a 90 minute TV special that relates temperature and absolute zero to the behavior of matter. Check it out.

Answer 4

Air pressure decreases with an increase in altitude because the higher you are, the less air there is above weighing down upon you.

This is because air behaves much like water. If you are swimming, the deeper you dive, the greater you feel the pressure build, because there is more water above weighing down upon you.

It is the same with air. On top of a mountain, air pressure is lower because the column of air above you is shorter. At sea level, the column of air above is taller, increasing the air pressure.

In essence: More pressure is put on because there is more air above you.

The pressure at any given altitude in the atmosphere is equal to the weight of the air directly above that point. As altitude increases, the air becomes less dense because of the smaller amount of air above that altitude. There is a corresponding decrease in pressure with an increase in altitude. Eventually you reach a point without air, and the pressure decreases to zero. That is space.
Air, like everything on earth is subject to gravity - air pressure decreases at higher altitudes because it simply has less air pressing down on it from above
Atmospheric pressure is the result of the weight of air that's above you.

As altitude increases, the amount of air under you increases, and the

weight of the air on top of you decreases.

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Also air is compressible (this means that at sea level a fixed volume contains more air molecules than the same fixed volume taken higher up) so as you go up the weight does not decease as a straight line with altitude, it drops off more rapidly as a curve.
Air Pressure is the result of the weight of all the air above you. (Note - the function of gravity in this description.) As your altitude increases, the amount of air above you decreases.

Answer 5

The atmoshere is held around the earth by gravity. Gravitypulls gas molecules in the atmosphere towards the earth'ssurface causing air pressure. air pressure is the measure of the force with which air molecules push on a surface. Air pressure is at the strongest at the earths surface because more air is above you. So, altitude (the distance from sea level) increses, air pressure decreses. think of air pressure as a human pyrimid,the people at the bottom of the pyramid can feel all the weight and pressure of the people on top. air pressure works in a similar way.

Answer 6

Density decreases with the air pressure. A gravitational shift is also responsible for air pressure decreasing more rapidly with height near the surface than at higher altitudes.

Answer 7

It has more molicules....

Answer 8

Because, The concentration of the atmosphere decreases because of gravity gets weaker as altitude increases.