The Physics of Scuba Diving

One other unit is the bar, the place 1 bar is the same as 14.5 psi. The worth of 1 bar could be very near the strain of air on Earth. The atmospheric strain of the air that surrounds you proper now might be 14.5 psi. (Sure, I mentioned “most likely” as a result of I do not need to choose you. Perhaps you might be studying this from the highest of Mount Everest, the place the strain is simply 4.9 psi, as a result of there’s much less air above you pushing down. In that case, ship me an image.) By way of pressure and space, it is the same as 100,000 newtons per sq. meter.

Water can be made from tiny shifting molecules that act like balls, and people molecules collide with underwater objects (like folks), producing strain. Water has many extra molecules than the identical quantity of air, which suggests there are extra collisions to provide a higher strain. However similar to going to the highest of Mount Everest decreases the air strain, going deeper in water will increase the strain, as a result of gravity pulls downward on the molecules of water. For each 10 meters of depth, the strain will increase by 1 bar, or 14.5 psi. That signifies that on a dive 20 meters (round 60 ft) under sea stage, there could be a water strain of 43.5 psi, 3 times higher than the air strain at Earth’s floor.

(The truth that strain will increase with depth prevents all of the ocean’s water from collapsing into an infinitely skinny layer. For the reason that strain is bigger the deeper you go, the water beneath pushes up greater than the water above it pushes down. This distinction compensates for the downward gravitational pressure, so the water stage stays fixed.)

It would sound like 43.5 psi is an excessive amount of for an individual to deal with, however it’s truly not that dangerous. Human our bodies are very adaptable to adjustments in strain. In case you have been to the underside of a swimming pool, you already know the reply to this strain downside—your ears. If the water strain on the surface of your eardrum is bigger than the strain from the air inside your inside ear, the membrane will stretch, and it will possibly actually harm. However there’s a good trick to repair this: Should you push air into your center ear cavity by pinching your nostril closed whereas making an attempt to blow air out of it, air will likely be pressured into this cavity. With extra air within the inside ear, the strain on each side of the membrane will likely be equal and you’ll really feel regular. That is known as “equalization,” for hopefully apparent causes.

There’s truly one other air house that you might want to equalize whereas diving—the within of your scuba masks. Remember so as to add air to it as you go deeper, or that factor will awkwardly squish your face.

There’s one different physics mistake a diver may make. It is potential to create an enclosed air house in your lungs by holding your breath. Suppose you maintain your breath at a depth of 20 meters after which transfer as much as a depth of 10 meters. The strain inside your lungs will keep the identical throughout this ascent, as a result of you’ve got the identical lung quantity, they usually comprise the identical quantity of air. Nonetheless, the water strain exterior of them will lower. The lowered exterior strain in your lungs makes it as if they’re overinflated. This could trigger tears in lung tissue, and even pressure air into the bloodstream, which is formally dangerous stuff.

Buoyancy

There’s one other downside to cope with if you find yourself underwater: floating and sinking. If you wish to keep underwater, it’s helpful to sink as an alternative of float—to some extent. I do not assume anybody needs to sink to such depths that they by no means return. Additionally, it’s good to have the ability to float while you’re on the floor. Fortunately, scuba divers can change their “floatiness” for various conditions. That is known as buoyancy management.

Issues sink when the downward-pulling gravitational pressure is bigger than the upward-pushing buoyancy pressure. If these two forces are equal, then the article will likely be neutrally buoyant and neither rise nor sink. It is like hovering, however in water, and it’s primarily what you need to do when scuba diving.