As a scuba diver descends, in addition to the normal atmospheric pressure, water exerts increasing pressure on the chest and lungs.

Question

The surface level conditions are 1.00 atm at 291.3 K and you descend to a depth where the pressure is 1.04 atm. What is the temperature at this depth?

293 K

283 K

303 K

273 K

Answer 1

Use Gay-Lusaac's Law to solve, which states that the Temperature and Pressure are directly proportional. Since the pressure is increasing from 1.00 to 1.04 atm, we should expect the temperature to increase from 291.3 K.

P1/T1 = P2/T2

P1 = 1.00 atm

T1 = 291.3 K

P2 = 1.04 atm

T2 = ?

Rearrange the above equation and solve for T2.

T2 = P2T1 / P1 = (1.04 atm x 291.3 K) / 1.00 atm = 303 K