Air held in a space can create an invisible ‘push’

Person with a green straw blowing bubbles in a glass.

In an air-filled or pneumatic tyre, the air is held in by a valve (katirere). Air under pressure (compressed air) can support a lot of weight. At the same time, it can absorb impact by compressing further when, for example, a tyre hits a bump in the road.

Bubbles are another example of the push of air. When we blow a bubble, we push air into a film of bubble mixture or a layer of bubble gum.

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