Atmospheric pressure

Atmospheric pressure is like a big hug from the air around us. The Earth has a lot of air around it, and that air is heavy. Just like a big bear hug feels heavy, the weight of the air pressing down on us is called atmospheric pressure.

Imagine yourself holding a sponge in your hand. If you squeeze the sponge, all the water inside is pushed out. Similarly, because the air is heavy around us, it presses down on everything on the Earth's surface, like buildings, trees, and even our bodies, just like your hand presses the sponge.

However, not all areas on Earth have the same amount of air pressure. Sometimes, the pressure may be low, and other times it could be high. Imagine two kids playing tug-of-war with a rope: when one is pulling harder, that side is more stretched out, and the other side is less stretched. When there is less air pushing down on a location, the air pressure is low, and we call it a low-pressure area. When there is more air pressing down, we call it a high-pressure area.

Sometimes, high and low-pressure areas can cause big air movements, which result in a windy day. When air moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure, we feel it as wind.

So, in a nutshell, atmospheric pressure is like a big bear hug from the air around us, and it presses down on everything with different intensities, causing winds and making an impact on the weather around us.