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GCSE Physics · key term
The layer of gases surrounding the Earth and held around it by gravity.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Specification 4.5.5.2 · Paper 2
The thin layer of air surrounding the Earth, held there by gravity.
Revise: Atmospheric pressureThe Earth is surrounded by an atmosphere: a layer of air held by gravity. It is thin compared with the size of the Earth. Air is made of moving molecules, and the atmosphere is not equally dense throughout.
Specification 15.7P · Paper 2
Revise: Atmospheric PressureThe Earth is surrounded by an atmosphere: a layer of gases held around the planet by gravity. Air may seem still, but its particles are in constant random motion. They repeatedly collide with exposed surfaces, such as the ground, a wall or your skin.
Specification P1.3f · Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher)
The mixture of gases surrounding the Earth.
Revise: Model of Earth's atmosphereThe atmosphere is the mixture of gases surrounding the Earth. Gravity keeps this gas associated with the planet. Although gas may look continuous, the particle model represents it as molecules that are widely separated and moving constantly in random directions.
When comparing two heights, state explicitly that atmospheric pressure is greater at the lower height and support the comparison using the simple atmosphere model.
State explicitly that uniform density is an assumption of the simple model, not a claim that the real atmosphere is uniform.
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