Air Pressure Curriculum

Section 1—Lesson 1: Air Pressure is Non-obvious but Causes Effects

Understanding Goals

This lesson draws students' attention to the non-obvious nature of air pressure by having students grapple with the historical puzzle, "Why could pumps only pull water out of mines from a depth of 32 feet or less in the 1500s?"

Subject Matter

• Air pressure exists all around us all the time. We sometimes forget to consider air pressure because its effects are such a common aspect of our lives; air pressure becomes non-obvious.

Causality

• When causes or effects are non-obvious, we often have to infer that they exist.