The approximate distance above sea level, d, in kilometers is given by the formula d=500(logP-2)/27 , where P is pressure in kilopascals (kPa)
a) If the barometer reading is 750 kPa, how far above sea level are you?
b)What is the barometric pressure 1.0 km above sea level?
***please show your work/each step. I have tried this question several ways and I am unable to come up with the correct answer :( Thanks
2007-05-27 11:18:12 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
a) Since the pressure is given, P=750kPa, all you need to do is simply plug in 750 into the equation. Therefore...
d=500[log(750)-2]/27
d=16.2 km
b) Now, they gave the distance and want you you solve for the pressure. Therefore, set the equation equals to 1...
1=500(logP-2)/27
27/500 = logP - 2
27/500 +2 = log(P)
10^(27/500+2) = P
P = 113.24kPa
Note: McFate is right... This equation doesn't really make sense...
2007-05-27 11:31:38 · answer #1 · answered by espms290 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I don't see how that equation, as written, can be right. In that equation, pressure increases as altitude increases. In reality, pressure decreases as altitude increases.
The respondent above me (who got the same answers I did when I tried this out) gets 16km for 750 kpa... and then 1km with 113 kpa. How is it possible for the pressure at 16 times the altitude to be 7 times higher?
Can you please re-check the equation to make sure there's not something missing? An error in copying the equation might explain why you hadn't been getting the desired answer when you were trying to solve it yourself. (If you know what the correct answers are supposed to be, please add that to the question, and maybe we can figure out what went wrong.)
2007-05-27 11:34:14 · answer #2 · answered by McFate 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋