If a diver breathes air with 0.05% carbon monoxide at three atmospheres, what is the equivalent concentration at one atmosphere?

To determine the equivalent concentration of carbon monoxide at one atmosphere when the diver is breathing air with 0.05% carbon monoxide at three atmospheres, it’s important to understand the relationship between pressure and gas concentration.

At higher pressures, the concentration of a gas in a mixture can be understood through the concept of partial pressures. When a diver descends and the pressure increases (in this case, to three atmospheres), the concentration of a gas like carbon monoxide increases proportionally with the pressure. This is due to the fact that gas behaves according to Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures, which states that the total pressure exerted by a mixture of gases is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the individual gases.

To find the equivalent concentration at one atmosphere, you can use the formula that relates concentration and pressure. If the concentration at three atmospheres is 0.05%, to find the equivalent concentration at one atmosphere, you would divide the concentration by the pressure difference.

So, 0.05% divided by 3 atmospheres gives:

[ \text{Equivalent concentration} = \frac{0.05%}{3} = 0.01667% ]

When rounded, this value approximates to