Eli5: How come we don’t feel the millions of pounds of air coming down above us? And why aren’t we so much stronger without it?

Question

Eli5: How come we don’t feel the millions of pounds of air coming down above us? And why aren’t we so much stronger without it?

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Answer 1

It’s not really millions of pounds… 1 atmosphere of pressure is around 14lb per square inch.

The main reason we aren’t stronger without, is because the internal pressure in our body is almost equal to the external atmospheric pressure, so it’s not like our muscles are working to hold that air up. It’s more like your body is a water balloon filled with water, and submerged in water. The balloon doesn’t deform, even though it’s “holding back” the weight of all that external water…