Why, Do You Know, Why Reasons

Do you know the 'why' reasons, or, do the 'whys' often bother you for scientific explanations? For instance, you do know that stars twinkle, but do you know the reasons why, and how? Or, do you know the 'why' reasons behind falling in love? Or, do you know the reasons why dogs bury bones? Probably many of you don’t! Why Corner – the 'why' blog, answers these 'whys' for basic knowledge, with real reasons for the 'why' facts. So, just know them all here if you have the 'why' urge, that is!

Dec 10, 2007

Do you know why does the wind blow?

Prof. Know Why answers:

What is wind? Why does the wind blow? How is wind different from air? Did any of these questions ever struck your mind? - If yes, just read on.

Wind is moving air and is caused by differences in air pressure within our atmosphere. Air, under high pressure, moves to the areas of low pressure. The greater the difference in pressure, the faster the air flows, and the stronger is the wind of that place. –That’s the simple explanation.

The atmosphere is composed of air which, is made up of tiny particles of different gases like nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, etc. The Sun shines on our atmosphere all the time. But, it heats the surface of the Earth unevenly. As a result, it’s warm in some places, while cold in other places. When air gets warmer, its particles spread out. This makes the air lighter, or less dense. So it rises. When air cools, it becomes heavier, or denser, and sinks. As warm air rises, air from cooler areas flows in to take the place of the heated air. This process is called convection and causes air to move. The differential heating of the Earth's surface and the resulting convection is what causes wind on this planet.

Have you ever wondered, how a hot air balloon floats in the air? Well, it applies the same science as that of the wind. Air is heated by a gas flame below the balloon. The air inside becomes hot and lighter or less dense than the cooler air outside the balloon. As the hot air rises, it carries the balloon upward. When the gas flame is turned down, the air cools and the balloon sinks back to the ground.

Wind also plays an important role in determining weather conditions.

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