What is special about nitrogen, and what is its main function in the atmosphere

Air is held within a frictionless piston-cylinder container, which is oriented vertically. the mass of the piston is 0.45 kg and the cross-sectional area is 0.0030 m2. initially (state 1) the pressure of the gas is sufficient to support the weight of the piston as well as the force exerted by the atmospheric pressure ( 101.32 kpa). the volume occupied by the air within the cylinder in state 1 is 1.00 liter. one end of a spring (with spring constant k = 1000 n/m) is attached to the top of the piston, while the other end of the spring is attached to a stage that can move vertically. initially the spring is undeflected and therefore exerts no force. then the stage is then moved quasistatically downward a distance of 10.0 cm, at which point the system reaches state 2. the piston-cylinder is not insulated; rather it remains in diathermal contact with the surroundings, which are at a constant temperature of 300 k. what is the change of pressure within the container?

Air is contained in a variable-load piston-cylinder device equipped with a paddle wheel. initially, air is at 400 kpa and 17°c. the paddle wheel is now turned by an external electric motor until 75 kj/kg of work has been transferred to air. during this process, heat is transferred to maintain a constant air temperature while allowing the gas volume to triple. calculate the required amount of heat transfer in kj/kg.

When you see distant streetlights through smog, they look dimmer and redder than they do normally. but when you see the same streetlights through fog or falling snow, they look dimmer but not redder. use your knowledge of the interstellar medium to discuss the relative sizes of the particles in smog, fog, and snowstorms compared to the wavelength of light.