The

Atmosphere
THE ONE WITH LOTS OF AIR.

Ancient Beliefs

Earth, fire, water and air made up the known

elements in the ancient world that philosophers
such as Aristotle and Plato observed.
Different combinations of these
elements filled all of space and
that air, being a light substance,
moved outwards and away from
the universe's center.
Today, scientists know that
Earth's gravity attracts particles
and gases in the air towards the
planet, making the air denser as

Knowledge Increases

Isaac Beeckman was one of the first people to

realize that air had real substance. He speculated
that air had weight and pressed down on objects on
Earth.
By 1660 the barometer had
been invented and Robert Boyle
used it to predict the weather.
Boyle believed that a substance
named "nitrous" existed in the
atmosphere. Nitrous, he
reasoned, was responsible for
respiration and combustion.

Major Discoveries

In 1674 when John Mayow found that the

atmosphere contained a gas that was combustible
and supported life. He also found another gas that
didn't have these properties.
Joseph Priestley, for instance, performed an
in Scheele
1774 that
identified
oxygen's
experiment
In 1773, Karl
was
the
properties.
first to isolate oxygen.
Antoine Lavoisier, after
repeating one of Scheele's
experiments, named the gas
"oxygen."

Structure

Composition

Know the following:

Nitrogen= 78%
Oxygen= 21%
Trace Gases= 1%

Air Pressure

The pressure exerted by the weight of air in the

atmosphere of Earth (or that of another planet)
Measured with a barometer.
Higher pressure is located
near the surface of the Earth.
Pressure gets lower as you rise
in altitude/ elevation from the
surface.

Carbon Cycle

Carbon Cycle
Video:
https://goo.gl/4g
fGjK

Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle
Video:
https://goo.gl/IAl
atZ

Practice Questions
1.What are the four (4) layers of the
atmosphere?
2.What is the composition (gases, give %) of
the atmosphere?
3.How does air pressure change as you rise in
altitude?
4.How does temperature change as you rise in
altitude through each layer?
5.What is the Carbon Cycle?
6.What is the Nitrogen Cycle?

Practice Answer Key

1.Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere,
Thermosphere
2.Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), Trace Gases
(1%)
3.Air Pressure Decreases with altitude.
4.Troposphere= decrease; stratosphere=
increase; mesosphere= decrease;
thermosphere= increase
5.The Carbon Cycle is the movement of carbon
atoms between the air, ground, organisms
and water on Earth.