At a depth of 50 m, the pressure is 512 kPa (kilopascals).

Question

A diver breathing air (78% N2, 21% O2) at this depth would have what partial pressure of oxygen in his lungs?

Question 18 options:

108kPa

5.1 kPa

404 kPa

512 kPa

Answer 1

To find the partial pressure of oxygen in the diver's lungs, we need to first calculate the total pressure of the air at 50 m depth.

Using the equation:
Ptot = Pnitrogen + Poxygen

Given:
Ptot = 512 kPa (total pressure at 50 m depth)
Pnitrogen = 78% of Ptot
Poxygen = 21% of Ptot

Firstly, we find Pnitrogen:
Pnitrogen = 78/100 * 512 kPa
Pnitrogen = 399.36 kPa

Next, we find Poxygen:
Poxygen = 21/100 * 512 kPa
Poxygen = 107.52 kPa

Therefore, the partial pressure of oxygen in the diver's lungs at a depth of 50 m is approximately 108 kPa.