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It expands. What happens is that the molecules that make up air begin to vibrate as they become warmer. This increases the amount of space between each air molecule. (e.g. put your hands in the 'prayer' position out in front of you. Pretend each hand is a molecule. Look at how much space your hands are taking up. Now clap your hands (this is to mimic vibration). Now see how much space each hand (molecule) is taking up! It's a lot more). Because now there are fewer molecules within a particular area (i.e. they pushed others out from the space), the warmer air floats above cooler air because it is less dense (like wood floating on water). Hope this helps ---schpsyk---Th

This is nonsense. The movement of air is nothing to do with the VIBRATION of air molecules. Air molecules rush about in all directions. They possess kinetic energy, the energy of motion, which is the product of the mass and the SQUARE of the speed of the mass. The kinetic energy of air molecules is partly derived from the action of the sun's radiation and partly from thermodynamic and chemical processes, such as fire and the operation of internal combustion engines. The temperature of a gas is proportional to the kinetic energy PER MOLECULE. Air pressure is proportional to the kinetic energy of the air molecules PER UNIT VOLUME (known as kinetic energy DENSITY. Hence, at a given pressure, the air density decreases with temperature. The gravitational force on a volume of air (its weight) is proportional to its density. Hence, warmer air, being less dense, is displaced by the heavier cooler air which moves underneath it and the warmer air rises like a hot air balloon.

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10y ago

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