Why does water boil at a lower temperature at altitude?
Does food cook faster at a higher altitude? Let’s boil an egg… The temperature of boiling water at sea level is 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius. The atmosphere of air surrounding the earth creates a pressure against us and all objects on earth. This pressure at sea level is one atmosphere, (14.696 pounds per square inch (psi)), or if measured in mercury – 760mm (approx. 30 inches of mercury) in a column. It is the density of the atmosphere, or air, that causes the pressure. As you increase altitude, the density of the air becomes thinner, and this thinner or less dense air then exerts LESS pressure. So, the higher the altitude the less dense the air and pressure decreases, until in space – no air, no density, no pressure. Now, to boil water requires energy, this energy is in the form of heat and may have been produced by gas flame, electrical, solar, burning wood etc. As the water molecules are heated, the energy of the water molecules is increased, and they will vibrate
