Question

Which is the most common gas that occurs in our atmosphere?

1) helium
2) nitrogen
3) oxygen
4) other gases

Answer 1

Nitrogen is the most common gas in Earth's atmosphere, totaling about 78%, while hydrogen and helium are rare due to their ability to escape into space.

Step-by-step explanation:

The most common gas in our atmosphere is nitrogen, which makes up about 78% of the Earth's air by volume. Though hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and helium is the second-most common, they are rare in our atmosphere due to their lightness, allowing them to escape Earth's gravitational pull at velocities exceeding the escape velocity.

Meanwhile, nitrogen remains the major component of our atmosphere, playing a crucial role in diluting oxygen and enabling the synthesis of proteins despite being inaccessible for direct use by most organisms in its gaseous form.