Pressure of air in cylinder under water

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on calculating the pressure of air in a submerged cylinder using the ideal gas law. The participant questions why the pressure is represented as 1 atm plus the hydrostatic pressure from the water column (82.3*rho*g) instead of considering the height of water above the air (82.3-x). Clarification is provided that the pressure at the air-water interface is indeed based on the total depth of water above it, which includes the height of the water column. The importance of considering both volume and temperature in the calculations is also highlighted. Understanding these factors is essential for accurately determining the pressure of the gas in the cylinder.
frostchaos123
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Homework Statement



Referring to the attachment, a cylinder of 2.5m filled with air is submerged to a dept of 82.3m into the sea such that sea water in cylinder is now x m. Water at bottom is 277.15K.


The Attempt at a Solution



Using ideal gas law PV=nRT of air,

the answer gives (1atm + 82.3*rho*g) * (2.5 - x) * Area of cylinder = nR(277.15)

However i don't understand why the pressure of the gas is 1 atm + 82.3*rho*g. Since the pressure of gas is dependant on height of water, shouldn't it be 1 atm + (82.3-x) * rho*g instead?

Or another reasoning is shouldn't it be like pressure of air + pressure of water trapped in cylinder = pressure at the bottom of the sea?
 

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hi frostchaos123! :smile:

(have a rho: ρ :wink:)
frostchaos123 said:
However i don't understand why the pressure of the gas is 1 atm + 82.3*rho*g. Since the pressure of gas is dependant on height of water, shouldn't it be 1 atm + (82.3-x) * rho*g instead?

yes, i think you're right …

P is the pressure on the volume of air, which is the pressure at the air-water surface, which is at height 82.3-x :smile:

(x will be very small compared with 82.3, but I'm not sure it's small enough to be negligible)
 
Thanks for the help :)
 
pressure is based on both volume and temperature of water, that might help u understand the problem a little better
 
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