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Atmospheric pressure and cabin pressure in an airplane
A cabin’s air pressure has a major impact on safety and comfort. At ground level, cabin pressure will be higher than atmospheric pressure when the airplane lifts off. The decrease in atmospheric pressure with altitude is responsible for this difference. This pressure can be calculated using the ideal gas laws. According to the ideal gas law, the pressure of a gas is directly proportional to its volume and inversely proportional to its temperature (Kim & Chan, 2020; Ramesh, 2020). For example, suppose there are 0.132 Liters of air in a ground situation at a pressure 0.945 atmospheres. This air volume increases by 0.243 liters when the aircraft takes off. If we use the ideal gas law to calculate the pressure, it would be equal to the following: 0.945 Atm, multiplied with the ratio 0.243 to 0.132 Liters. That is 1.84 Atm. The pressure inside the cabin of an aeroplane would then be 1.84 times higher than that at ground level. Although the ideal gas laws is useful in understanding pressure variations with altitude, they are not the only factors to be considered when setting the optimal cabin pressure for an airplane. An increase in temperature could cause pressure to drop, and an increase of humidity may cause it to rise (Ramesh 2020). A good air circulation system is essential to maintain a uniform air pressure in the cabin. It is therefore important that aeroplane pilots understand how cabin pressure affects different environmental factors in order to make sure their passengers feel safe and comfortable.
