Chapter 15: Air Around Us

The fifteenth chapter of Class 6 Science, Air Around Us, introduces students to the invisible yet vital mixture of gases that surrounds the Earth and makes life possible. Though we cannot see air, this chapter explains its composition, properties, and importance for living beings.

The chapter begins by explaining that air is a mixture of gases. The major component is nitrogen, which makes up nearly 78%, followed by oxygen at 21%. The rest consists of carbon dioxide, water vapour, and other gases in small amounts. Each of these components has a specific role: oxygen supports breathing and burning, nitrogen controls combustion and helps plants through nitrogen fixation, while carbon dioxide is essential for photosynthesis. Students also learn about the importance of air for survival. All living organisms, including humans, animals, and plants, depend on air for respiration. The chapter also highlights the role of air in weather, cloud formation, and rainfall. Simple activities such as showing that an inverted glass with a burning candle gets extinguished due to lack of oxygen make the concepts more relatable. The chapter further explains the uses of air in daily life, such as in windmills, sailing boats, flying kites, and generating electricity. It also emphasizes the significance of the atmosphere in protecting life on Earth by blocking harmful rays of the Sun. With NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science, students can clearly understand textbook exercises related to components of air and their uses. The NCERT Exemplar for Class 6 Science Solutions provides application-based questions like why oxygen is necessary for burning or how plants maintain the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Important points of the chapter include: