The Molecular Weight of Air
Table of Contents
In the book of Job it is written that God “makes a weight for the wind.” This is an amazing scientific statement that the wind (air) actually has weight. To the ancient man wind or air had no value as an object of mass, but now scientists know that air molecules have a weight value which in turn effective produce air pressure .
God sees under the whole heavens… , to make the weight for the winds (Job 28. 24-25)
Answering Criticism
Some critics state even though ancient man had no knowledge of air having a molecular weight, they still could have observed ‘air pressures’ from the wind, and that physical objects move as a result (i.e. blowing through the trees, etc.).
- Molecular Information
- Weight of Oxygen – Atomic Mass 15.9994 g/mol
- Weight of Carbon – Atomic Mass 12.0107 g/mol
- Weight of Nitrogen – Atomic Mass 14.0067 g/mol
- Weight of CO2 – Atomic Mass 44.01 g/mol
This verse taken literally, says that God makes or assigns a ‘weight’ for the wind or a weight of air. Molecular Weight (heaviness) and pressure (to push), each word has different meanings and different applications, ancient man had different word to describe the two phenomenon separately.
This weight of molecules in air was not discovered until recent centuries by modern chemists with the discovery of molecular theory. The first atomic mass being suggested by John Dalton in 1803 as 1/1 H. The Bible says specifically ‘weight.’ Additionally, ancient man could not have understood that pressure or force is derived from weight as we know today from modern physics.