Final answer:
The total pressure in a vessel containing a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen, with partial pressures of 20 atmospheres and 42.8 atmospheres respectively, is found to be 62.8 atmospheres.
Step-by-step explanation:
The total pressure inside a vessel containing a mixture of gases can be found by using Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures. According to this law, the total pressure is equal to the sum of the individual partial pressures of the gases.
The partial pressure of nitrogen in the vessel is 20 atmospheres, and the partial pressure of oxygen is 42.8 atmospheres. To find the total pressure, we simply add these two partial pressures together:
Partial Pressure of Nitrogen (N₂): 20 atm
Partial Pressure of Oxygen (O₂): 42.8 atm
Total Pressure (Pₚot) = Partial Pressure of N₂ + Partial Pressure of O₂
Total Pressure (Pₚot) = 20 atm + 42.8 atm = 62.8 atmospheres
Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is 62.8 atmospheres, which corresponds to option (c).
To find the total pressure inside the vessel, we can use Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures. According to Dalton's Law, the total pressure is the sum of the individual partial pressures of the gases present in the mixture. In this case, the partial pressure of nitrogen is 20 atmospheres and the partial pressure of oxygen is 42.8 atmospheres. Therefore, the total pressure inside the vessel is 20 + 42.8 = 62.8 atmospheres.