Question

Would it be easier to drink water with a straw on top of Mt. Everest or at the foot? Explain.

Short answer

It would be more difficult to drink water with a straw on top of Mount Everest due to the lower atmospheric pressure at that height. This lessened pressure means it would be harder to generate the vacuum necessary to elevate the water within the straw.

Step-by-step solution

Understand the mechanics of drinking with a straw

We start by understanding what happens when water is drawn up through a straw. This is typically achieved by creating a partial vacuum inside the straw, reducing the pressure within the straw. The atmospheric pressure surrounding the straw then pushes the liquid up into the low-pressure region in the straw, thus making the drink rise and allows us to drink it.

Consider pressure differences at different heights

Next, we need to think about how pressure differs at different heights. The atmospheric pressure at sea level, or the foot of a mountain, is higher than at the top of a mountain such as Mount Everest. This is because there is a thicker blanket of air pushing down at lower altitudes.

Apply the concept to the case of drinking with a straw

Finally, it is crucial to acknowledge that drinking water with a straw becomes harder at higher altitudes. This is because there is lower atmospheric pressure at higher altitudes to push the water up into the straw. Generating the necessary vacuum in the straw would mean reducing an already lower pressure, which is more challenging.

Key concepts

Atmospheric Pressure

When we talk about atmospheric pressure, we're referring to the force exerted onto a surface by the weight of the air above it. This pressure is crucial for many everyday activities, including drinking with a straw.

The pressure comes from molecules in the air colliding with surfaces. Imagine billions of tiny air molecules bouncing around and pushing against everything. At sea level, there is a thick blanket of air above, which means more molecules and higher pressure. This is why atmospheric pressure at sea level is about 1013 millibars (mb).

• The higher the altitude, the less air is above you to push down.
• This results in lower atmospheric pressure at elevated heights.

Understanding atmospheric pressure helps us recognize its role in pushing liquids up a straw when we create a partial vacuum by sucking the air out. Without sufficient atmospheric pressure, making your drink climb up through the straw becomes difficult.

Altitude Effects

Altitude can significantly influence atmospheric pressure. As you ascend to higher altitudes, the layer of air above you becomes thinner, which lowers the atmospheric pressure. This means there's less air to exert pressure on surfaces.

Consider two places: the foot of a mountain and the top of Mount Everest. At the mountain's base, the air is dense, and the pressure is high. But at the summit of Mount Everest, the air is much thinner, and pressure drops dramatically to around 337 millibars (mb).

• The air at high altitudes is less dense and cooler.
• Lower atmospheric pressure makes it harder for breathing and drinking through straws.

This reduction in pressure at higher altitudes impacts drinking liquids with a straw. Less air pressure means there's less force pushing the drink up the straw, making it harder to sip from it as easily as you would at lower altitudes.

Partial Vacuum

Creating a partial vacuum is essential when using a straw to drink. When you suck air from the straw, you lessen the air pressure inside it, creating a partial vacuum. The greater external atmospheric pressure then pushes the drink up toward your mouth.

If you think about it, the effectiveness of this method is reliant on the difference in pressure between the inside and outside of the straw. The higher this difference, the easier it is to push the liquid upward.

• A partial vacuum is an area with less air than the surrounding environment.
• Atmospheric pressure fills this low-pressure space with liquid.

At higher altitudes, generating a significant partial vacuum becomes challenging because of the already low atmospheric pressure. As altitude increases and air pressure decreases, the difference between the pressures inside and outside of the straw is smaller, making it difficult to draw liquid up into the straw.