When you go out in the park, do you wonder what it is that you are feeling against your skin?
How does your kite fly that high?
We are surrounded by air all the time.
We feel its presence when we switch on the fan, and the hanging calendar shakes.
We see its effect when the tree leaves glide with the wind.
Air grows strong and changes into cyclones that can destroy buildings
Can you see, taste, touch, or smell air?
Our planet earth is also surrounded by a layer of air that is thousands of kilometers thick. This layer is called the atmosphere.
The higher we go in the atmosphere, the harder it gets to breathe. This is why people who go high up the mountains carry an oxygen cylinder.
Oxygen helps us breathe. It is the most important gas for our survival.
It is one of the gases in the air, but not the only one.
Long ago, we were not sure what air is made of.
After many experiments, scientists proved that it is made up of many gases.
Oxygen makes up 21% of the air.
78% is mainly nitrogen. Together, Oxygen and nitrogen form 99% of the gasses in the air.
The remaining 1% includes many other gases such as water vapour and carbon dioxide.
3 facts about carbon dioxide:
When you light a bonfire, it takes up oxygen and produces carbon dioxide.
Too much carbon dioxide causes air pollution and is harmful to health.
Living beings like us take oxygen in and produce carbon dioxide,
Yet, there is one living being that takes carbon dioxide and gives us oxygen. Continue reading to find out who it is.
Now try to fill an empty bottle with water by completely dipping it inside water, it produces air bubbles. This air is replaced with water when we tilt the bottle.
Air dissolves in water. Just before the water boils, you notice air bubbles forming. This is how aquatic animals can breathe underwater.
Similarly, if you put water on dry soil, bubbles come out. This is because the air that was trapped in the soil got released when you added water. This air is the source of oxygen for organisms that live underground like plant roots.
But why does oxygen never finish?
Plants take carbon dioxide in and release oxygen during photosynthesis.
Their oxygen release is much more than their oxygen intake.
The balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is done by photosynthesis and respiration in plants and animals.
This also shows how plants and animals depend on each other for their survival.
Air also helps in distributing the pollen and seeds of many plants.
People built windmills and are using them as a source of energy. You can see it in Muppandal wind farm in Tamil Nadu.
Now we can appreciate how precious the air is.
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