Why does atmospheric pressure drop when altitude increases?

(Question can be sketched with a graph) Firstly, in order to have atmospheric pressure, air molecules must collide with a surface, in this case the face of the Earth. As you gain altitude (height from face of Earth), the number of air molecules decreases. This means less collisions between air molecules occur at higher altitudes, so the pressure of the air is lower.

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Answered by Henry S. Physics tutor

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