Question

Heroes in movies hide beneath water and breathe through a hollow reed. In practice, you cannot inhale in this manner if your lungs are more than 60.0 cm below the surface. What is the maximum negative gauge pressure you can create in your lungs on dry land, assuming you can achieve −3.00 cm water pressure with your lungs 60.0 cm below the surface?

a) -0.03 atm
b) -2.97 atm
c) -0.003 atm
d) -0.3 atm

Answer 1

The maximum negative gauge pressure you can create in your lungs on dry land is approximately -0.058 atm, which is closest to option a) -0.03 atm.

Step-by-step explanation:

The maximum negative gauge pressure you can create in your lungs on dry land can be found using the equation: P = P₀ - ρgh, where P is the gauge pressure, P₀ is the atmospheric pressure, ρ is the density of water, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the depth. In this case, since the pressure is given as -3.00 cm water pressure, we can convert it to pascals by multiplying by the density of water. The equation becomes:

P = P₀ - (ρgh)

Substituting the given values:

P = 0 - (1000 kg/m^3)(9.8 m/s^2)(0.6 m) = -5880 Pa

Converting the pressure to atm:

P_atm = P / 101325 = -5880 Pa / 101325 Pa = -0.058 atm

Therefore, the maximum negative gauge pressure you can create in your lungs on dry land is approximately -0.058 atm, which is closest to option a) -0.03 atm.