Question: Problem 1.16. The exponential atmosphere. (a) Consider a horizontal slab of air whose thickness (height) is de. If this slab is at rest, the pressure

 Problem 1.16. The exponential atmosphere. (a) Consider a horizontal slab ofair whose thickness (height) is de. If this slab is at rest,the pressure holding it up from below must balance both the pressure

from above and the weight of the slab. Use this fact tofind an expression for dP/de, the variation of pressure with altitude, interms of the density of air. (b) Use the ideal gas law

Problem 1.16. The exponential atmosphere. (a) Consider a horizontal slab of air whose thickness (height) is de. If this slab is at rest, the pressure holding it up from below must balance both the pressure from above and the weight of the slab. Use this fact to find an expression for dP/de, the variation of pressure with altitude, in terms of the density of air. (b) Use the ideal gas law to write the density of air in terms of pressure, tem- perature, and the average mass m of the air molecules. (The information needed to calculate m is given in Problem 1.14.) Show, then, that the pressure obeys the differential equation dP dz P. KT called the barometric equation. (c) Assuming that the temperature of the atmosphere is independent of height ( not a great assumption but not terrible either), solve the barometric equa- tion to obtain the pressure as a function of height: P(z) = P(0)e-mg=/KT Show also that the density obeys a similar equation.(d) Estimate the pressure, in atmospheres, at the following locations: Ogden, Utah (4700 ft or 1430 m above sea level); Leadville, Colorado (10,150 ft, 3090 m); Mt. Whitney, California (14,500 ft, 4420 m); Mt. Everest, Nepal, Tibet (29,000 ft, 8850 m). (Assume that the pressure at sea level is 1 atm.)Problem 1.14. Calculate the mass of a mole of dry air, which is a mixture of No (78% by volume). O, (21%), and argon (1%)

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