What are pressure differentials?

Pressure differentials are when pressure is higher in one place and lower in another, like a seesaw going up and down.

Imagine you're blowing on two balloons, one in each hand. If you blow harder on one balloon than the other, that balloon will stretch more because it feels more push from your breath. That's like a pressure differential, one side has more push than the other.

Think of wind as air moving from where it’s pushier to where it’s softer. If you're outside on a windy day, that wind is happening because there’s a pressure differential between two places, maybe a high-pressure area next to a low-pressure one. The air moves from the high-pressure spot to the low-pressure one, just like how water flows from a full glass to an empty one.

When you drink from a sippy cup and it starts to go gloopy, that’s because of pressure differentials too. As you suck on the straw, you’re making the air inside the cup less pushy, so the air outside pushes the liquid up into your mouth, just like how wind moves from high pressure to low pressure!

So next time you feel a breeze or sip from a sippy cup, remember: it’s all about pressure differentials!