Submission Date:
2/3/21
Algebra 2
Project
Student: Njood Aleid
Grade: 10 B
Teacher: Hanan Anzawi
School: Saad National School
Algebra Project – Project Letters (2/3/21)
Activity 1:
Graphing
THE INTERDEPENDENCE BETWEEN OCEAN DEPTH AND
PRESSURE IN SCUBA DIVING
Scuba divers must learn about pressure under water. At the water's surface, air exerts 1 atmosphere of pressure.
Under water, the pressure increases. The pressure varies with depth according to the equation. Boyle's law (PV
= k) states that the volume V of air varies inversely with the pressure P. If you hold your breath, the volume of
air in your lungs increases as you ascend.
Buoyancy, or the ability to control whether a diver sinks or floats, is controlled by the buoyancy compensator
(BCD). If a diver is ascending, the air in his BCD expands because of lower pressure according to Boyle’s law
(decreasing the pressure of gases increases the volume). The expanding air increases the buoyancy of the diver,
and she or he begins to ascend. The diver must vent air from the BCD or risk an uncontrolled ascent that could
rupture the lungs. In descending, the increased pressure causes the air in the BCD to compress and the diver
sinks much more quickly; the diver must add air to the BCD or risk an uncontrolled descent, facing much
higher pressures near the ocean floor.
The pressure also impacts how long a diver can stay underwater before ascending. The deeper a diver dives, the
more compressed the air that is breathed because of increased pressure. The diver uses up available air twice as
fast as at the surface.
Depth & Air
Consumption
The relationship between pressure and
volume is inversely proportional. (a) The
graph of P vs. V is a parabola, whereas
(b) the graph of (1/P) vs. V is linear
X Y
20 70.68
26 54.31
30 47.06
36 39.31
40 35.31
Activity 2:
Writing
Scuba Diving Safety Rules Derived From Boyle's Law
Don't Hold Your Breath Underwater - According to dive training
organizations, a diver should never hold his breath underwater
because if he ascends (even a few feet) to an area of lesser water
pressure, the air trapped in his lungs will expand according to
Boyle's Law. The expanding air can stretch the diver's lungs and
lead to pulmonary barotrauma.
Ascend Slowly - A diver's body absorbs compressed nitrogen gas
while he dives. As he ascends to a depth with less water pressure,
this nitrogen gas expands according to Boyle's Law. If a diver
does not ascend slowly enough for his body to eliminate this
expanding nitrogen gas, it can form tiny bubbles in his blood and
tissue and cause decompression sickness.
Resources:
[Link]
[Link]
1/chapter/relating-pressure-volume-amount-and-temperature-the-
ideal-gas-law/
