Question

Middle ear injury is the most common injury in diving. The tympanic membrane in the inner ear begins to bow inward as pressure compresses the trapped air behind it. The membrane may rupture if the diver does not take care to equalize the pressure. Suppose a diver has 1.18 mL of air trapped in her middle ear, at a pressure of 740 torr. She then dives 15 m, where the total pressure is 1850 torr. What is the volume of trapped air under those conditions? Answer

Answer 1

The answer to this question is quite simple

We have given a situation where the pressure is changed and we have to calculate the effect on the volume

We will use boyls law for this calculation

Boyls law tells us that

P1V1= P2V2

where

P1= initial pressure = 740 torr

P2 = final pressure = 1850 torr

V1= initial volume = 1.18 mL

V2 = final volume

So now putting the values in the equation we get

740 ×1.18 = 1850× V2

V2 = 0.472 ml

I hope this helps if you have any query or want more detailed explanation feel free to ask in the comments section below.