In the 18-19 centuries, the famous English chemist and physicist John Dalton lived. The lack of formal education did not prevent him from becoming a well-known scientist and making a considerable contribution to the development of science. He came to everything on his own, only with the help of self-education and his inquiring mind. When Dalton was 21 years old, he began his scientific work. He was very interested in the air. And the scientist spent 57 years of his life observing the atmosphere of our planet. He kept his meteorological diary, in which over two hundred thousand observations were recorded.
Dalton’s works were not in vain and resulted in several gas laws. And one of them is the law of partial pressures. The scientist sought to understand why various gases in the atmosphere make up the mixture, and are not arranged in layers one above the other according to the density of each. He conducted various studies and realized that, no matter how many gases were mixed in any vessel, each of them would occupy its entire volume.
Take at least our atmosphere. It also represents one large vessel, in which, however, there are no walls. But various gases are held near the earth due to its gravity. And they all fill with themselves all the surrounding space. And if the gas is in the vessel, then, accordingly, it exerts pressure on its walls. And the more this gas in this vessel, the greater the pressure. And atmospheric air in this case presses on the surface of the Earth. And this pressure is equal to the weight of the column of air, which begins at the surface of the planet and ends in the upper atmosphere. And each gas that is part of the air, contributes its part to this process. And the partial pressure is this very fraction of each gas in the total pressure.
According to physical laws, the partial pressure of gases is directly proportional to their share in each gas mixture. Our atmosphere contains oxygen, which all living organisms use for breathing. Its share of the total air volume is 21%. And if you take the density of air high in the mountains and above sea level, then everywhere it will be different. After all, the higher the altitude, the less terrestrial gravity becomes. And this makes air at high altitudes more rarefied. Also, air pressure changes depending on the weather. In areas where there is cyclonic activity, it is below normal, and in areas with an anticyclone pressure is higher than the standard 760 millimeters of mercury. And if the air pressure rises or falls, then the partial pressure of oxygen also changes accordingly.
This factor has a great effect on the human body. After all, the greater the partial pressure of this gas, the better all tissues of our body are supplied with it. If we take the inhabitants of the highlands, they are already at the genetic level adapted to the lack of oxygen. And for those who live on the plain, it takes some time to get used to it. Children are also more sensitive to such changes. After all, they have a process of oxidative metabolism is much more intense than in adults. And if a thunderstorm approaches, then small children begin to act up. After all, a thunderstorm front is a zone of low pressure and the partial pressure of oxygen in it, respectively, is also below normal.
This physical law should be taken into account by those who are going to go on vacation to high mountain regions and take their children with them. Of course, such trips will benefit children if some rules are followed. This is less stressful situations, less running around and strict adherence to the regime. And it is better not to take small children from lowland areas to heights of over 2000 meters. You need to wait until they get stronger.