How Does a Barometer Work TedEd

According to Aristotle, why could a true vacuum not exist?

• Because the surrounding matter would immediately fill it

• Because rapid shifts in air pressure can contribute to extreme weather events

• Because the theory of a vacuum was still considered controversial

• Because air pressure correlates to temperature

What is a key component of the barometer?

• A stable vacuum

• A space devoid of matter

• A long tube filled with water

• An instrument for measuring air pressure

Who conducted a simple but brilliant experiment to demonstrate the possibility of a vacuum?

• Blaise Pascal

• Galileo Galilei

• Gasparo Berti

• Evangelista Torricelli

What did Gasparo Berti do to demonstrate the possibility of a vacuum?

• Poured water out of a tube until the level was 10.3 meters with a gap remaining at the top

• Took a mercury tube up a mountain to show the effect of atmospheric pressure

• Repeated Galileo's experiment with mercury instead of water

• Filled a tube with water and placed it in a shallow pool

What did Evangelista Torricelli use instead of water in his experiment?

• Vacuum

• Gas

• Mercury

• Air

What did Blaise Pascal do to support Torricelli's theory?

• Repeated Galileo's experiment with mercury instead of water

• Took a mercury tube up a mountain to show the effect of atmospheric pressure

• Filled a tube with water and placed it in a shallow pool

• Poured water out of a tube until the level was 10.3 meters with a gap remaining at the top

What led to the restrictions on the use of mercury barometers in Europe in 2007?

• The invention of a vacuum pump

• The decrease in demand for barometers

• The discovery of the toxicity of mercury

• The invention of a more accurate instrument for measuring air pressure

What is an outstanding example of Torricelli's invention?

• The invention of a more compact barometer

• The use of mercury barometers to measure atmospheric pressure

• The willingness to question long accepted dogmas about vacuums and the weight of air

• The creation of a stable vacuum