1) Air is made up of tiny molecules that are mostly nitrogen and oxygen and move freely around in spaces between each other. 2) When air is compressed into a smaller space, the molecules move closer together, increasing the pressure. Releasing the compression allows the higher outside pressure to push the air back to its original state. 3) Atmospheric pressure is caused by the weight of air molecules pushing down from above. It pushes evenly in all directions at the Earth's surface and is higher at sea level than locations higher in altitude.