Science Common Sense

1566 - What are the main forces affecting the horizontal movement of the atmosphere?

Imagine there's air moving around our planet. The main forces that affect this air movement (or horizontal movement) are:

  1. Pressure Gradient Force: This is like when you open a balloon that has a lot of air inside. The air wants to move from the balloon to the outside where the air pressure is lower.

  2. Friction: It's like when you're rubbing against something, like your shoes on the ground. Friction slows down the air movement.

  3. Coriolis Force: This is like when you're spinning around in a circle with a ball on a string. The rotation of the Earth makes the air move in a certain direction (curvy path).

PrevHomeNext