Tuesday 2 June 2020

diffusion - Surviving under water in air bubble


An incredible news story today is about a man who survived for two days at the bottom of the sea (~30 m deep) in a capsized boat, in an air bubble that formed in a corner of the boat. He was eventually rescued by divers who came to retrieve dead bodies. Details here. Since gases diffuse through water (and are dissolved in it) the composition of air in the bubble should be close to the atmosphere outside, if the surface of the bubble is large enough; so the excessive carbon dioxide is removed and oxygen is brought in to support life of a human.


Question: How large does the bubble have to be so that a person in it can have indefinite supply of breathable air?




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