What is air?

We all know that air is a very important element for life and that without it, no living being could inhabit the planet earth. But do you know what air is made of? Air is a mixture of gases found in a layer that surrounds the earth, also known as the earth’s atmosphere. This layer of air is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, which means that it has no color, odor, or taste. It is made up of different gases, mainly nitrogen and oxygen, but it also contains carbon dioxide, water vapor, argon and other gases such as ozone and neon, among others.

Although everyone thinks that oxygen is the main component of air, in reality nitrogen is the most abundant gas within the mixture, since it represents approximately 78% of the composition, followed by oxygen that makes up approximately 21% of the composition and the remaining 1% is made up of the other gases.

Within the atmosphere, the air is affected by temperature, and due to temperature differences in different parts of the earth, layers of air with different temperatures and therefore different densities are formed. The differences in densities cause movements in the different layers of air, what we know as air currents, the movement of these air currents is determined not only by the temperature, but also by the rotation of the earth, the surface material terrestrial radiation, solar radiation, heat loss from the earth’s surface, topography and surface morphology.

The original composition of the air can change when human activities, such as industry, release toxic gases into the atmosphere that are harmful to living beings. This phenomenon is known as pollution and can cause serious damage to the health of living beings. That is why in recent years scientists have devoted themselves to studying this phenomenon and how it can be countered to improve the quality of life of humans and all living beings on the planet.

Let’s experiment and see the functions of air, do the following practice with me.