KatherineFoster

TanimPavel
SydneyBrown
MicaylaBell
Period4

UnderPressure

PROJECT:LetsGoDiving!

Scubadivinghelpsmarinescientistsexploretheunderwaterfrontier.Itisalsoapopular
sport.Buttodivesafely,diversmustunderstandthatwaterpressure
atdepthsofeven30or40feetcanbeverydangerous.

Modernscubadivingequipmentallowsdiverstostayunderwaterforlongperiodsof
time.Butthedepthandlengthofdivesarelimitedbytheamountofpressurethatthe
humanbodycantolerate.

Yourjobistowritea
brochure
tohandouttopeoplewhoarejustlearningtodive.Your
brochureshouldincludebasicscubasafetyandalltheinformation
theyneedtoknowabouthowpressurewillaffecttheirdive.
Youwillalsoplana
lesson
forabeginningscubaclassabouthowtodealwithpressure
whenyou
Dive.

Allofthefollowingquestionsneedtobeaddressedinbothyourbrochureandyour
lesson:

1) Scubadiversmustlearnaboutpressureunderwater.
Atthewater'ssurface,airexerts1atmosphere(atm)ofpressure.Underwater,the
pressureincreases.ThepressureP(atm)varieswithdepthd(ft)accordingtothe
equationP=d/33+1.Boyle'slawstatesthatthevolumeVofairvariesinversely
withthepressureP.Ifyouholdyourbreath,thevolumeofairinyourlungs
increasesasyouascend.Ifyouhave4qtofairinyourlungsatadepthof66ft(P
=3atm),theairwillexpandto6qtwhenyoureach33ft,whereP=2atm.

Usingthedataintheexampleabove,makeatableandgraphtoshowhowthevolume
ofairinyourlungsvarieswithdepth.

Makeatableandgraphtoshowhowthevolumeofairinyourlungsvariesinversely
withpressure.

Pressure=P(atm)
*Increasesasyougounderwater
Depth=d(ft)
*Howdeepyouareinthewater
EquationforPressure:
P=d/33+1
BoylesLawEquationforVolume(qt):
V=k/P
*k=constantofproportionality/constantofvariation
*VariesinverselytopressureP
*Increasesasthepressuredecreases(youascendinthewater)
Thustheequationcanbecome:k=VP

4quarts(volume)=66ft(depth)
K=(66/33+1)(4)>

K=12fortheconstantrate

Volume(qt)
=k/P
*12/(d/33+1)

Depth
=d

WorkShown:

4qt

66ft

66ft=3atm*plugin*

6qt

33ft

33ft=2atm*plugin*

12qt

0ft

12/((0/33)+1)=12

Asthedepthofthewaterincreases,thevolumeofairinyourlungsdecreasesby2
quartseachtimethedepthgoesdownby33feet.Untilitreaches0feet,thenthe
amountofairinyourlungsgoesupto12qt,whichisequaltok,theconstantvariation.

Volume
=k/P

Pressure
=d/33+1

WorkShown:

4qt

3atm

(66ft)
/33
=2
+1
=3
atm

6qt

2atm

(33ft)
/33
=1
+1
=2
atm

12qt

1atm

(0ft)
/33
=2
+1
=1atm


Asthepressureofthewaterdecreases,thevolumeofairinyourlungsincreasesby2
quartseachtimethepressuregoesdownby1atm.Exceptwhenitmakesthejumpto
12quartswhenyouareat0feetdepth.Logically,allthepressureyoustartedwith
wouldreturntoyourlungswhenatsurfacelevel.Since12isk,thatisourinitialamount
ofairinourlungs.

Foraninversevariation,itwillbeshownasy=k/x,whereasifkisgreaterthan0,then
thegraphwillbeshownassomethingsimilartoanexponentialgraph.Itswhereone
valueisgoingupwhiletheothervalueisgoingdown.Itisshapedlikeacurvewhere
theasymptotewillbe0forthehorizontalandverticalforthexandyaxis.Inthis
situation,VolumeisY.Kistheconstantofvariation.XisPressure.ThePressure
cannotbe0orelsetheresultwillbenegative.Also,foraninverseequation,Kisalways
greaterthan0.Also,aninverseequationdoesntgothroughtheorigin,whichis(0,0)

2)Youfoundthatthevolumeofairinadiver'slungscouldmorethandoubleasthe
diverresurfaces.Thisexpansioncostsandcausethemembranesofthelungsto
rupture.Diversmustlearntoexhaleproperlywhileascending.

Ifyoufillyourlungswith4qtofairatadepthof66ft,howmanyquartsofairwillyou
needtoexhaleduringyourascenttostillhave4qtofairinyourlungswhenyoureach
thesurface?

Atthesurface,youhave12quartsofairandyouknowthatweneed4quartstoexhale.
124=8
4qts

3)Therateatwhichascubadiverusesairinthetankdependsonmanyfactors,such
asthediver'sageandlungcapacity.Anotherimportantfactoristhedepthofthedive.A
scubadivercontinuestobreathenormallywhiledescending.Everytimethediver
inhales,thetankdeliversenoughairtoinflatethediver'slungs.Thismeansthatthe
amountofairdeliveredbythetankmustincreasewiththedepthinordertowithstand
theincreasingpressure.Atgreaterdepths,thediverusestheairinthetankmore
quickly.Theamountoftimetheairwilllastisinverselyproportionaltothepressureat
thedepthofthedive.

Supposeatankhasenoughairtolast60minatthesurface.Howlongwillitlastata
depthof99ft?
396qt

(Thepressureis4atm,or4timesasgreat.)

Makeatableshowinghowlongtheairwilllastat
0ft,20ft,33ft,40ft,50ft,66ft,and99ft

T(time)isinverselyrelatedtoP(pressure),intheequationT=k/P.

Sincethereis60minutesforT,and1atmforPtorepresentthetimeittakesfortheair
inthetanktolast.Theconstantforkis60.Thentheanswerscanbefoundusingthis:
T=60/P

You
pluginthedepths
intothe
Pressureequation(d/33+1)
inordertofindthe
pressure.
Ex1:(20/33+1)>
1.6
(depthintopressure)
Ex2:T=60/
1.6
=37.5>
38mins
(rounded)

DepthinFeet

Pressure@Depth

Minutes

60

20

1.6

38

33

30

40

2.2

27

50

2.5

24

66

20

99

15