BASIC DIVING PHYSICS Flashcards
Pressure in diving is the result of what two factors?
- Weight of the water (hydrostatic pressure)
- Weight of the atmosphere over water (atmospheric pressure)
Forces affecting any diver at any depth must be in __________ with the force at that depth.
Pressure balance
The body can only function correctly when the pressure difference in and outside the body is very ______.
Small
Atmospheric pressure is usually expressed as _____ pounds per square inch (psi) or ____ atmosphere absolute (__ ata) at sea level.
- 14.7 psi
- 1 atmosphere absolute (1 ata)
What indicates the difference between atmospheric pressure and the pressure being measured, the reading you actually see on a gauge?
Guage pressure
What is the pressure surrounding the diver at all times?
Ambient pressure
What is the total pressure being exerted?
I.e. gauge plus atmospheric pressure
Absolute pressure
What is the weight of the atmosphere (Atmospheric pressure) at sea level?
14.7 psi
What is the weight of the water (hydrostatic pressure) measured in?
Pounds per square inch gauge (psig)
What is the formula for psig? (Pounds per square inch gauge)
Depth in feet of saltwater (fsw)
(Fsw) x .445= psig
(Round up to the next whole number)
Ex. 33 fsw
33 x .445 = 14.68 = 15 psig
What is the equation for absolute pressure (ata)?
(D + 33)/ 33 = ata
D=depth in feet of saltwater=fsw
What is the psig to ata formula?
(Psig + 14.7)/ 14.7 =ata
What is buoyancy?
The force that makes an object float.
What is Archimedes principle?
Any object wholly or partly immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.
What is Archimedes principle used for, and how do you find buoyancy?
Used to determine if an object or body will be negative, positive, or neutral when immersed in water. Buoyancy is weight displaced minus weight of object.
What are natural factors that affect a divers buoyancy?
- Air in lungs
- Bone structure
- Obesity/Leanness
What factors can a diver change to adjust buoyancy?
- add or remove weight
- put air in buoyancy compensator/life vest
- put air in dry suit
- put air in lungs
- vary thickness of wetsuit
What is the equation for buoyancy?
Displaced liquid weight - submerged body weight = the buoyant force
What are the water weights for fresh and saltwater?
Salt: 64 lbs/cubic foot
Fresh: 62.4 lbs/cubic foot
Oxygen (O2)
- ____% in air
- metabolized by ____
- the only gas that the body actually uses
- breathing 100% O2 under pressure can be toxic at partial pressures of ___ to ___ ata
- 21% in air
- metabolized by the body
- 1.3 to 1.6 ata
Partial Pressure
In a mixture of gases, each gas contributes to the total pressure of the mixture. This contribution is the partial pressure. The partial pressure is the pressure of the gas if the gas were in the same volume and temperature by itself.
Nitrogen (N2)
- ___% in air
- used to dilute ___ (essentially a carrier for___)
- Inert gas
- the body does not metabolize
- dissolves in the tissues
- 79% in air
- used to dilute O2 (O2)
What is an inert gas?
One that the body does not use or metabolize.
What disorder can result from breathing nitrogen under pressure? (Creating anesthetic-like properties)
At what depths does this occur?
- Nitrogen narcosis
- Usually begins at depths deeper than 100 fsw