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For K-12 Students · Standard Atmosphere

Standard Atmosphere for a wind-tunnel airfoil

Built for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework. Simulate a wind-tunnel airfoil live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.

Standard Atmosphere (ISA)Live

temperature, pressure, density

Controls

Presets

Altitude (m)

The International Standard Atmosphere is the reference model all aircraft and instruments are calibrated against. Temperature falls steadily through the troposphere at 6.5 °C/km, then holds constant in the stratosphere above the tropopause. Pressure and density decay roughly exponentially — at airliner altitude the air is only a quarter as dense as at sea level.

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Data Inspector

Temperature-50.0 °C

Pressure26.4 kPa

Density0.413 kg/m³

% sea-level ρ34%

Governing equation

T = T_{0} - L h = 288.15 - 0.0065 \cdot 10000 = 223.1 K, p = p_{0} (\frac{T}{T _{0}})^{g / (L R)} = 26.4 kPa

Reading this result: Below the 11 km tropopause, temperature falls at 6.5 °C/km — here it is -50 °C and the air holds 34% of sea-level density.

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Frequently asked questions

Is this good for k-12 students?: Yes — this version of "Standard Atmosphere for a wind-tunnel airfoil" is framed for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework.
Do I need to install anything?: No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.