Calculating Volume of Air in Passenger's Stomach at Cruising Altitude

Explanation:

Boyle's Law: When the plane takes off and ascends to cruising altitude, the cabin pressure drops, causing the air in the passenger's stomach to expand. Boyle's Law states that the volume of a gas is inversely proportional to its pressure.

We can use the formula V1P1 = V2P2, where V1 is the initial volume, P1 is the initial pressure, V2 is the final volume, and P2 is the final pressure, to calculate the new volume of air.

Plugging in the values:

Initial volume (V1) = 100 cm³

Initial pressure (P1) = 105 N/m² (sea level pressure)

Final pressure (P2) = 7.50 x 10⁴ N/m² (cruising altitude pressure)

Using the formula:

V2 = (V1 * P1) / P2

Calculating:

V2 = (100 cm³ * 105 N/m²) / (7.50 x 10⁴ N/m²)

V2 ≈ 140 cm³

Therefore, the volume of air in the passenger's stomach at cruising altitude will be approximately 140 cm³.