Real-Life Math
Many oceanographers find their way into the field through the sport
of scuba diving. Oceanographer Judy McDowell says her time spent diving "adds
another dimension to my work."
"Besides being relaxing and interesting,
scuba diving puts me back in touch with the underwater environment I love
so much. It helps me remember why my work is important."
There are
some basic principles used by divers and oceanographers alike to make sure
their ocean experiences are safe and their research results are accurate.
One of these principles is that underwater pressure increases by 1 atmospheric
pressure for every 33 feet of depth.
Consider this problem:
You
want to use a delicate piece of equipment to take some underwater readings.
The depth of the water in your study area is about 500 meters.
You
need a casing that will protect your equipment at that depth.
If the
"absolute pressure" at sea level is 1 atmosphere, and the pressure increases
by 1 atmosphere every 33 feet after that, how much underwater pressure must
your casing be able to withstand to protect your equipment?
For safety
purposes, the casing must be designed to withstand 5 times the underwater
pressure at 500 meters.
Hint: 1 meter = 3.28 feet
Hint
2: Be careful about your metric and imperial conversions -- as an oceanographer,
you'll have to be comfortable using both.