air is around us. we can not see it, smell it, or taste it. but we can feel the wind blow. we can see the wind move waves on the water, clouds in the sky, and tree branches. wind is moving air.

　　without air we could not breathe. there could be no living plants or animals. because sound travels through air, without air there would be silence. the movement of air can support a large, heavy plane.

　　air is a mixture of gases and water vapor. the most important gases in the air are nitrogen and oxygen. 78 percent of the air is made up of nitrogen, and about 21 percent of oxygen. almost all living things use the oxygen in air. fire cannot burn without oxygen.