Does atmospheric pressure increase or decrease as altitude increases? (Neglect changes in temperature.)
pressure decreases as altitude increases.
Atmospheric pressure decreases as altitude increases. This is because the weight of the air above decreases as you move higher in the atmosphere. The Earth's atmosphere is composed of a layer of air molecules that are pulled toward the surface of the Earth by gravity. The weight of these molecules creates the atmospheric pressure.
To understand why atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing altitude, we need to consider the concept of air pressure. Air pressure is the force exerted by the weight of the air above a certain point. At sea level, the air above exerts a greater force due to its weight, resulting in higher atmospheric pressure.
As we move higher in the atmosphere, the density of the air decreases. This means there are fewer air molecules above a given point, and thus the weight and pressure decrease. The decrease in atmospheric pressure with altitude follows an approximate exponential relationship. For every increase in altitude of about 165 meters (or 540 feet), the atmospheric pressure decreases by about 1%.
It's important to note that this explanation neglects changes in temperature, as you mentioned in the question. Temperature variations can introduce additional complexities in the atmospheric pressure patterns, but in general, we can say that atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing altitude.