eli5: Why do our ears pop when we change altitude? And if it’s pressure, why do they do it in pressurised plane cabins?

Question

eli5: Why do our ears pop when we change altitude? And if it’s pressure, why do they do it in pressurised plane cabins?

In: 14

Answer 1

It is pressure. The popping is the pressure inside your sinuses(?) equalizing with the exterior pressure.

The pressure inside a plane cannot be kept at ground level, it would be far too much for the fuselage to deal with, and would consume much more power. Planes are generally kept at a maximum of something like the equivalent of 8000 feet altitude at minimum. This is enough to keep people healthy and mostly comfortable.

So below 8000 feet, the pressure will be whatever it is outside, above 8000 feet it’s kept at that level artificially.