OK Wayne.

I went to your group and read your rule, but I am not finding an
"aha!" here. Your instructors and all the meteorologists you talked
to just left out the obvious (and therefor assumed) fact that it is
all about differentials. differential pressure, differential
temperatures, etc. Your rule like saying that I cannot pull myself up
on a chin-up bar by itself. The bar must push down on the earth at
the same time, and the earth, in turn, must provide an equal and
opposite force, and the center of our masses must be displaced by the
ratio of our masses, etc, etc, etc,

For me the idea that "hot air rises" is a perfectly legitimate and
valid model of what is going on. It helps me get to the subsequent
and more interesting extrapolations that might lead to actionable
knowledge.

Matt