Quote:The ideal gas law is nice but it can't really be applied here since it requires no heat or energy exchange with it's surroundings. And there's tons of energy coming from both the sun and what the Earth radiates back into space.

 

Fair enough, I don't actively study the sciences and am more of a causal (but interested) observer. It just seemed like the basic principles of the law are applicable to the general idea of less pressure = lower temperatures.

 

Quote:The equation you are looking for is: PV=nRT.

 

Everything else being constant, as pressure goes down, so does temperature.

 

As for explaining it to most people, I just say, when you go high, you get closer to outer space.  And space is really, really, cold.

 

On topic, I can accept the integration of trigonometric functions, but really can't justify in my brain.  It was the point in calculus when I realized I would never be a mathematician.  I could understand all the laws of math up to that point.

 

Haha, I suppose that explanation works. A lot of people don't see space as a thing that "stuff" interacts with though.

---