Let’s refer to Figure 2-8 which shows a column of air with a cross-sectional area of 1 and as high as the atmosphere extends above Earth’s surface . This entire column of air weighs about 14.7 lb and thus produces a pressure of about 14.7 lb/ on Earth’s surface at sea level. This pressure is called atmospheric pressure and the value of 14.7 lb is called standard atmospheric pressure because atmospheric pressure varies a small amount depending on the weather conditions which affect the density of the air. Unless otherwise specified, the actual atmospheric pressure will be assumed to equal the standard atmosphere pressure.