At a depth of 53 feet in the ocean, what is the absolute pressure in atmospheres?

To determine the absolute pressure at a depth of 53 feet in the ocean, you need to understand how pressure changes with depth underwater.

At sea level, the atmospheric pressure is 1 atmosphere (atm). For every 33 feet of water depth, the pressure increases by approximately 1 additional atmosphere due to the weight of the water above.

To calculate the pressure at 53 feet, you would first convert the depth into the number of atmospheres contributed by the water:

• First, divide the depth by 33 feet:

[ \frac{53 \text{ feet}}{33 \text{ feet/atm}} \approx 1.606 \text{ atm} ]

This indicates the pressure due to the water alone is about 1.61 atm.

Adding the atmospheric pressure at the surface:

1 atm (surface pressure) + 1.61 atm (water pressure) = 2.61 atm.

Thus, the total absolute pressure at a depth of 53 feet is 2.61 atmospheres, which corresponds to the correct answer. This is important in scuba diving as it helps divers understand how pressure impacts breathing and equipment function.