When we travel by airplane, the pressure changes. What does that mean exactly? Why does it make my ears hurt?
Equally, deep sea diving and submersibles. Ive read that the glass has to be massively reinforced to stand the pressure. Is the change in pressure the same type for air and sea? I.e does pressure increase for both?
Edit; Everyone did great! I understand now! The answer is “Water be heavy” and “Air be heavy. Less air above you when you fly so less pressure”
In: 13
First, let’s talk about bricks. One brick weighs so much. A stack of two weighs twice as much. a stack of three weighs 3 times as much. etc, etc. Each brick you add increases the stack height and weight by one brick.
Now, let’s talk about pillows. One pillow weighs so much. A stack of two weighs twice as much. A stack of three weighs 3 times as much. etc, etc. As you add more pillows to the stack, the weight increases by one pillow, but the lower pillows in the stack are squished by the weight so the height does not increase by one pillow. Also, the lower pillows are now more dense, as their fluffiness has reduced by this squishing.
The gas molecules and atoms act kind of like pillows. They aren’t in an ordered stack, but in a moving heap around the planet. The lower they are in the heap, the more dense they are due to being squished under the heap. Likewise, the higher they are in the heap, the less dense they are due to there being less atoms and molecules above them to squish them.
The thing that gets your ears when changing altitude is the pocket of trapped air inside your inner ear. This air causes no discomfort when the pressure inside your ear is the same as the pressure outside of it.
As you move to an a higher altitude, there’s less air pressure on the outside of your ear drum. The air trapped in your ear drum expands as it matches match the pressure around you. If it cannot find a way out, it expands your inner ear kind of like a balloon but a little less dramatic. When you yawn (or whatever), the inner ear hole (Eustachian tube) is opened and excess air is able to escape.
Likewise, when you go to a lower altitude the air pressure increases, and your ear drum is squished from the outside because there is not enough air inside. Yawning (or whatever) allows more air to go into the inner ear hole, equalizing the pressure.
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