Final answer:
To determine the volume of the air bubble at the sea's surface, the Combined Gas Law is applied, considering the pressures at depth and surface, sea water density, acceleration of gravity, and temperatures at depth and surface.
Step-by-step explanation:
A student asked: At 16 m below the surface of the sea, where the temperature is 8°C, a diver exhales an air bubble having a volume of 1.1 cm³. If the surface temperature of the sea is 19°C, what is the volume of the bubble immediately before it breaks the surface?
We can solve this problem by using the Combined Gas Law, which states that the pressure and volume of a gas are directly proportional to its temperature. The law is expressed as P1V1/T1 = P2V2/T2, where P is pressure, V is volume, and T is temperature in Kelvin.
At 16 meters below the surface, the pressure exerted on the bubble (P1) can be calculated using the hydrostatic pressure equation: P = P0 + ρgh, where ρ is the density of the sea water, g is the acceleration of gravity, and h is the depth.
At the surface, the pressure on the bubble (P2) is atmospheric pressure, and we use the given temperatures (in Kelvin) to solve for V2, the volume of the bubble at the surface.