The Properties of Air

The properties of air

Air has different properties.

• Air is invisible. It has no color.

• Air has no shape. It takes the shape of its container, like all gases. Air occupies the greatest possible space.

• Air has no taste or smell. 

• Air has weight. A balloon with air inside weighs more than a balloon with no air inside.

Hot air weighs less than cold air. There is hot air in hot air balloons. This is why they go up .

All living things need air

All living things need air

The Earth’s atmosphere is made up of air. Air is a mixture of different gases. The main gases are nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide. All living things need air to survive.

• Animals and people need air to breathe. We breathe oxygen into our lungs and breathe out carbon dioxide. Fish take in air from water through their gills. Aquatic mammals, such as whales and dolphins, come to the surface of the water to breathe in air.
• Plants need carbon dioxide from air to make their food. They release oxygen into the atmosphere.

Introduction video to the Air and the Athmosphere

SCIENCE UNIT 8 - AIR

UNIT CONTENT 
Content objectives

1.  Understanding that air is necessary for life 
2.  Appreciating the uses of air
3.  Analyzing the characteristics of air
4. Knowing the composition of air
5. Learning about the atmosphere, its functions, and some atmospheric phenomena 
6. Appreciating the importance of breathing clean air

Language objectives

1. Describing the uses of air: to breathe; in tyres; for pushing sailing boats
   
2. Stating facts: zero conditional: If we burst a balloon, the air escapes.
   
3. Making comparisons: It weighs less than...; there is more ... than ...
   
4. Describing a hypothetical situation: 2nd conditional: If there were ... the Sun would burn ...
   

Contents

CONCEPTS	PROCEDURES	ATTITUDES
The air: importance, composition, physical characteristics The atmosphere: the layer of gases surrounding the Earth The atmosphere and its functions: filters the Sun’s rays and has the oxygen we need to breathe Atmospheric phenomena: precipitation, wind, storms	Interpret diagrams Identify everyday situations in which air is useful to people Apply the characteristics of gases to air Associate oxygen in the atmosphere with life Analyse why the atmosphere is necessary for living things Identify some atmospheric phenomena	• Appreciate the importance of breathing clean air