Question

A deepsea diver should breathe a gas mixture that has the same oxygen partial pressure as at sea level, where dry air contains 20.9% oxygen and has a total pressure of 1/5 atm.

(a) What is the partial pressure of oxygen at sea level?
a) 0.209 atm
b) 0.0429 atm
c) 0.783 atm
d) 0.166 atm

Answer 1

The partial pressure of oxygen at sea level is 2.11x104 N/m².

Step-by-step explanation:

The partial pressure of a gas is defined as the pressure that gas would exert if it were alone in the container. To find the partial pressure of oxygen at sea level, we need to multiply the total pressure of air by the percentage of oxygen in the air. In this case, the total pressure of air is given as 1.01x105 N/m² and the percentage of oxygen is 20.9%. So, the partial pressure of oxygen at sea level is:

Po₂ = (1.01x105 N/m²) × (0.209) = 2.11x104 N/m²

Therefore, the correct answer is 2.11x104 N/m² (option d).