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PS-07
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Primary Science Learning Experience
PS–07   Air Is Compressible
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TRY THIS
Pull a plunger outwards. Seal the syringe tip with a finger. Try pushing the plunger back in. Push hard, then let go. What happens? Release the tip. Push the plunger all the way in. Seal the tip again. Try pulling the plunger out. What do you feel? Try the other syringes.

WHAT IS HAPPENING
Pushing the plunger of a sealed syringe compresses the trapped air. Because air is matter, there is a limit to its compression. On releasing the plunger, the squeezed air pushes the plunger outward. Air is thus compressible and acts like a compressed spring. Why doesn't the plunger pop all the way out? When pulling the plunger of a sealed syringe, the enclosed volume develops a partial vacuum. The higher air pressure outside pushes the plunger back inside.
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