# Denver air pressure **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 12, 2013, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189 "2013-12-12T19:36:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/1 "2013-12-12T19:36:45Z")
Denver is the mile high city. That means its air pressure is considerably lower than the air pressure at sea level. You know what that means? . . . . It means that **everything sucks less in Denver!** {ba-doom, ksssh!} Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week! Tip your waitstaff! ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/2 "2013-12-12T19:40:58Z")
They have a pretty nice airport. And that’s just about all I know about Denver. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/3 "2013-12-12T19:42:30Z")
Colorado Springs sucks even less. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/4 "2013-12-12T19:59:03Z")
> [@Cyros](#): > > Colorado Springs sucks even less. As does Santa Fe. Do you know why New Mexico has so much wind power generation? Because Arizona sucks and Texas blows. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/5 "2013-12-12T21:25:30Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > They have a pretty nice airport. With an [anatomically correct murderous demon stallion](http://kunc.org/post/demon-horse-denver) just outside, and the [Illuminati World Headquarters](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_International_Airport#Controversy) underneath. Also, they’re the birthplace of one of my favorite bands ever, [Slim Cessna’s Auto Club](http://slimcessnasautoclub.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/6 "2013-12-12T22:49:34Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > Denver is the mile high city. > > That means its air pressure is considerably lower than the air pressure at sea level. > > You know what that means? > > . > > . > > . > > . > > It means that **everything sucks less in Denver!** In the fine SDMB tradition of pedantry and nit-picking, it actually means just the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/7 "2013-12-12T23:01:53Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > … it actually means just the opposite. Right: less pressure = more suck. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/8 "2013-12-17T01:32:08Z")
I disagree! With less air pressure, the same amount of vacuum would create less suction force. I mean, if I’m in air at 1013 millibars pressure (mean sea level), and I turn on a vacuum pump whose internal pressure is 600 millibars, that’s 413 millibars of suction (i.e. 413 millibars of overpressure forcing its way into the pump). BUT, if I’m in air at only 700 millibars pressure, and my vacuum pump creates the same 600 millibars of internal pressure, that’s only 100 millibars of suction – less than 1/4 of the suction I was generating at sea level! ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/9 "2013-12-17T02:30:16Z")
pressure, smessure - Colorado sucks less because of excellent weather and pointy mountains. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/10 "2013-12-17T05:34:31Z")
I have friends in Denver I’ve never met. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/11 "2013-12-17T07:47:14Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > With an [anatomically correct murderous demon stallion](http://kunc.org/post/demon-horse-denver) just outside… I love that thing. Friends of mine are horrified, but I think it’s awesome. The sculptor [died](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Jim%C3%A9nez_%28sculptor%29) while working on it ☹ ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/12 "2013-12-17T12:41:14Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > Denver is the mile high city. > > That means its air pressure is considerably lower than the air pressure at sea level. > > You know what that means? > > . > > . > > . > > . > > It means that **everything sucks less in Denver!** > {ba-doom, ksssh!} Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week! Tip your waitstaff! I went to grad school in Utah, which is also 'way up there. The first time I used a vacuum system, I was seriously bothered that I couldn’t get my system all the way down to low pressure. It kept hanging on, well, above what it should have been to let me turn on the diffusion pump. No amount of leak-checking served to find the source of my leak. Then I realized that I was in the Land Where You Use the Directions on the Side of the Cake Mix, and that my rough vacuum gauge had been calibrated by the Flatlanders down at sea level. So my vacuum pump had to suck less in Salt Lake City. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/13 "2013-12-17T14:02:46Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > The sculptor [died](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Jim%C3%A9nez_%28sculptor%29) while working on it ☹ Too bad the blue sad smiley doesn’t have red eyes. Wouldda been perfect. ---
**Author:** ![slitterst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@slitterst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slitterst)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/14 "2013-12-17T16:04:10Z")
With less pressure, wouldn’t things have to suck harder to achieve the same result? As with many things, it depends on what bar you set. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/15 "2013-12-17T16:51:53Z")
> [@slitterst](#): > > With less pressure, wouldn’t things have to suck harder to achieve the same result? I once had a girlfriend from Denver. She never seemed to give it any extra effort but the results were the same. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/16 "2013-12-17T17:17:22Z")
> [@slitterst](#): > > As with many things, it depends on what bar you set. Boo! Boooooooo! 😛 (for those wondering: [bar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_%28unit%29)) ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-air-pressure/676189/17 "2013-12-17T17:50:13Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > I disagree! > > With less air pressure, the same amount of vacuum would create less suction force. > > I mean, if I’m in air at 1013 millibars pressure (mean sea level), and I turn on a vacuum pump whose internal pressure is 600 millibars, that’s 413 millibars of suction (i.e. 413 millibars of overpressure forcing its way into the pump). BUT, if I’m in air at only 700 millibars pressure, and my vacuum pump creates the same 600 millibars of internal pressure, that’s only 100 millibars of suction – less than 1/4 of the suction I was generating at sea level! That means your vacuum pump sucks less.