My son just asked me at dinner and I do not have an exact answer.
In: 7
Air pressure. All air likes to be at the same pressure. It takes a lot of energy to force a pocket of air to be at a different pressure than the other air around it. Think about how hard it would be to blow up a basketball with your breath and you’ll understand.
When you pick up a straw with one end covered, you have a straw that is filled with water at the bottom and air at the top. When water flows out the bottom of the straw, it leaves empty space behind, and that side has to be filled with something. Normally, that side would be filled by air that would get sucked in the top of the straw, but it can’t because your finger is covering it. The only other way the water could flow out is if the air in the straw agreed to lower its pressure so that the same amount of air filled a larger space. But, there’s no way in hell you’re gonna find a pocket of air that would agree to do that. So, the water just stays in the straw until it finds something that can take its place if it were to flow out.
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