Mountain climbers encounter large changes in atmospheric pressure - Leaving Cert Physics - Question c - 2017

To demonstrate atmospheric pressure, you can set up a simple experiment using water and a heat source:

1. Apparatus: Utilize a boiling water setup and a container to cover the boiling water.
2. Procedure: Boil water in the container and then immediately cover it with a lid.
3. Observation: As the steam fills the container and cools down, the water level inside will rise, showing that the atmosphere exerts a force against the water surface.

Alternatively, you could use a suction cup to illustrate atmospheric pressure acting on an object.

To find the new volume of the balloon at the height of Mount Everest, we can use Boyle's Law, which states that the pressure of a gas times its volume is constant when temperature is constant:

$P_1V_1 = P_2V_2$

Where:

• $P_1$ = atmospheric pressure at sea level = $10.1 imes 10^4$ Pa
• $V_1$ = initial volume of the balloon = 2 L = 0.002 m³
• $P_2$ = atmospheric pressure at Mount Everest = $3.0 imes 10^4$ Pa
• $V_2$ = volume at Mount Everest (unknown)

Rearranging the formula gives:

$V_2 = \frac{P_1V_1}{P_2} = \frac{(10.1 \times 10^4) (0.002)}{3.0 \times 10^4} = 0.067 m³ = 67 L$