Question

Here is a question about atmosphere that I need some help please. Thanks!/?!

Answer 1

This is a classic physics demonstration!

Explanation:

Heating the can causes the air inside it to expand. (This is often accompanied by a little water inside it being boiled to fill the can with steam.) Capping the can means that the mass of air inside is then held constant. The pressure at this point is equal to the atmospheric pressure.

(Pressure is simply the result of many, many impacts per second of tiny air particles per unit area.)

As the can cools the pressure inside it will fall (due to Charles’ law, `P prop T`) but the pressure outside remains (approximately) constant. The outside pressure is thus much greater than the pressure inside, causing the can to be crushed.

Great video here: