Level 4: Thin air

Air and fluids · level 4 of 8 · rough age 11-12 (a guide for parents; anyone can start anywhere)

Just how thin is the air on Mars? This level puts numbers on it: how dense it is, what it is made of, and how it thins out with height. Then it asks what thin air means for people: why there is nothing to breathe, why you need a pressure suit, and why a Mars gale pushes like a breeze.

Lesson	You will be able to
How thin is Mars air?	Compare the density and pressure of Mars air and Earth air
What Mars air is made of	Read and compare the gases in the two atmospheres
Air thins with height	Use the halving height to find the pressure higher up
No air to breathe	Work out the push of oxygen alone, on Mars and on Earth
Why you need a pressure suit	Explain why water in your body would boil on Mars
Mars winds push gently	Use density and speed to compare the push of the wind

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