atmospheric pressure
6
4.2
- noun
- /ˌætməsˈfɛrɪk ˈprɛʃər/
- Specialized
:
presión atmosférica
- As you rise in altitude, the atmospheric pressure decreases, which can affect how you breathe.
- atmospheric pressure gradient
- air at atmospheric pressure
- atmospheric pressure decreases
Sounds great, except that the atmospheric pressure is so low that the liquid water would start boiling as soon as it melts.
- Sounds great, except that the atmospheric pressure is so low that the liquid water would start boiling as soon as it melts.
Examples
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A mercury barometer was used to determine the atmospheric pressure at the time of testing.
Academic text (1995) -
Unexpected atmospheric pressure change within the dome.
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And as you go higher above the earth, atmospheric pressure gets less and less and less.
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There are places on Mars where the temperature and the air pressure, the atmospheric pressure are just right.
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And first of all, there's just atmospheric pressure, right?
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Any change in atmospheric pressure could cause it to rupture.
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And if the air is not poisonous, the atmospheric pressure may be 100 times higher than on Earth.
Academic text (1998) -
The boiling point of any liquid drops along with the atmospheric pressure, and vice versa.
Blog text (10) -
As the steam condenses, the bottle will be crushed by atmospheric pressure.
Academic text (2007) -
As it ascends and confronts decreasing atmospheric pressure, the weather balloon's volume increases.
Academic text (2004)
Synonyms
744
1.9
A push on a surface by air or water
18
2.2
The weight of the air pushing down on a surface
7
4.0
The weight of the air around us that changes with the weather
How High
- Specialized
6
7.5
- Specialized
3
7.9
- Specialized
6
4.2
- Specialized
9
5.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from 'atmospheric' (relating to the atmosphere) and 'pressure' (force applied to a surface): it straightforwardly denotes the pressure exerted by the atmosphere. This compositional scientific noun phrase follows regular English word-building patterns and has clear equivalents in many other languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Atmospheric pressure names the 'push' of all the air above us on the ground and on objects, like a blanket of air pressing down. Atmospheric means the air around us and pressure means a 'push', so when there is less air above us, for example on a mountain, the 'push' is smaller and that explains why pressure changes with height and weather.