Air pressure decreases approximately exponentially as altitude increases. For each \(1000\,\text{m}\) increase in altitude, air pressure decreases by about \(12\%\).
a) What percent of sea-level air pressure remains at an altitude of \(3000\,\text{m}\)?
b) Find the pressure factor for altitude increases of \(1000\,\text{m}\), \(500\,\text{m}\), and \(5000\,\text{m}\).
c) At approximately what altitude is the air pressure one-half of its sea-level value?
Hints
- Write a pressure model using altitude measured in thousands of meters.
- A \(500\,\text{m}\) increase is one-half of the standard \(1000\,\text{m}\) step.
- For the half-pressure altitude, set the remaining fraction equal to \(0.5\).
Solution
1. The factor per \(1000\,\text{m}\) is \(b=1-0.12=0.88\).
2. At \(3000\,\text{m}\), the remaining fraction is \((0.88)^3=0.681472\), or about \(68.1\%\).
3. The factors are \(0.88\) for \(1000\,\text{m}\), \((0.88)^{0.5}=\sqrt{0.88}\approx0.9381\) for \(500\,\text{m}\), and \((0.88)^5\approx0.5277\) for \(5000\,\text{m}\).
4. Let \(x\) be the altitude in thousands of meters. Solve \((0.88)^x=0.5\): \(x=\frac{\ln(0.5)}{\ln(0.88)}\approx5.4223\). Therefore, the altitude is about \(5422\,\text{m}\).
Answer
a) About \(68.1\%\)
b) \(1000\,\text{m}\): \(0.88\); \(500\,\text{m}\): about \(0.9381\); \(5000\,\text{m}\): about \(0.5277\)
c) About \(5422\,\text{m}\)