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Q:

How is it that hot air is less dense?

A:

We can tell the density of a gas by how packed together molecules are. The more air molecules in once space, the denser the air.

 

As air gets warmer, the air molecules have more energy. All these hot, energized molecules will move around everywhere, increasing the speed of the air, losing density. Since the molecules are going off everywhere, the air becomes less dense.

Ask an Explainer
Posted on October 26, 2014 at 11:12 pm
Categories:
Gravity & Air
Aerodynamics
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