20.5k views
10 votes
The atmosphere exerts a force (pressure) on Earth. Why does the atmosphere exert pressure on Earth?

User Raze
by
5.2k points

1 Answer

6 votes
The air around you has weight, and it presses against everything it touches. That pressure is called atmospheric pressure, or air pressure. It is the force exerted on a surface by the air above it as gravity pulls it to Earth.
User PhillipKregg
by
5.6k points