Question: I read this background article the other day: Like water in the ocean, air in the atmosphere exerts pressure that increases with depth. Most gas molecules in the atmosphere are pulled close to Earth’s surface by gravity. As a result, air pressure decreases quickly at lower altitudes and then more slowly at higher altitudes. This is illustrated in Figure below . Air pressure is greatest at sea level, where the depth of the atmosphere is greatest. At higher altitudes, the pressure is less because the depth of the atmosphere is less. For example, on top of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth, air pressure is only about one-third of the pressure at sea level. At such high altitudes, low air pressure makes it hard to breathe and is dangerous to human health.  I am facing a new situation today: There are two neighboring cities, Brampton and Filtroy. The two towns depend on each other by trading supplies and goods regularly. Filtroy is located on top of a very tall mountain, and Brampton is situated at the base of this hill. For this reason, it can sometimes be difficult to traverse the roads to trade goods, but it's important to do it so both cities can thrive.  Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: In which city is it harder for citizens to breathe?
Answer: Filtroy

Question: I read this background article the other day: The mechanical advantage of a machine is the factor by which it changes the force applied to the machine. Many machines increase the force applied to them, and this is how they make work easier. Compound machines tend to have a greater mechanical advantage than simple machines. That’s because the mechanical advantage of a compound machine equals the product of the mechanical advantages of all its component simple machines. The greater the number of simple machines it contains, the greater its mechanical advantage tends to be.  I am facing a new situation today: David was studying the processes involved in a machine. He collected a simple machine. He tagged it as case A. To compare it with compound machines, he collected two compound machines, case B and case C. Case B is a compound machine with few simple machines. And, case C is a compound machine with many simple machines.  Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Would case B have greater or smaller mechanical advantage than case C?
Answer: smaller

Question: I read this background article the other day: The Gaia hypothesis states that the biosphere is its own living organism. The hypothesis suggests that the Earth is self-regulating and tends to achieve a stable state, known as homeostasis . For example the composition of our atmosphere stays fairly consistent, providing the ideal conditions for life. When carbon dioxide levels increase in the atmosphere, plants grow more quickly. As their growth continues, they remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In this way, the amount of carbon dioxide stays fairly constant without human intervention.  I am facing a new situation today: Two friends had a sleepover. They spent most of the time online looking up stuff and talking about it. Bill looked up the Gaia hypothesis, while Frank read about the Flat Earth theory.  Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which friend read less about the composition of our atmosphere?
Answer:
Frank