Skip to main content
Ch 01: Units, Physical Quantities & Vectors
Young & Freedman Calc - University Physics 14th Edition
Young & Freedman Calc14th EditionUniversity PhysicsISBN: 9780321973610Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 1, Problem 20a

Four astronauts are in a spherical space station. If, as is typical, each of them breathes about 500 cm3 of air with each breath, approximately what volume of air (in cubic meters) do these astronauts breathe in a year?

Verified step by step guidance
1
First, determine the volume of air each astronaut breathes per breath. This is given as 500 cm³. Convert this volume to cubic meters using the conversion factor: 1 cm³ = 1 × 10⁻⁶ m³.
Calculate the total volume of air each astronaut breathes in one day. Assume an average breathing rate of 12 breaths per minute. Multiply the number of breaths per minute by the number of minutes in a day (60 minutes/hour × 24 hours/day) to find the total number of breaths per day.
Multiply the total number of breaths per day by the volume of air per breath (in cubic meters) to find the daily volume of air each astronaut breathes.
To find the annual volume of air each astronaut breathes, multiply the daily volume by the number of days in a year (365 days).
Finally, calculate the total volume of air breathed by all four astronauts in a year by multiplying the annual volume for one astronaut by four.

Verified video answer for a similar problem:

This video solution was recommended by our tutors as helpful for the problem above.
Video duration:
4m
Was this helpful?

Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Volume Conversion

Understanding volume conversion is crucial for this problem, as it involves converting the volume of air from cubic centimeters to cubic meters. Since 1 cubic meter equals 1,000,000 cubic centimeters, you need to divide the total volume in cubic centimeters by 1,000,000 to convert it to cubic meters.
Recommended video:
Guided course
07:46
Unit Conversions

Breathing Rate Calculation

To determine the total volume of air breathed in a year, you must calculate the number of breaths taken annually. This involves multiplying the number of breaths per minute by the number of minutes in an hour, hours in a day, and days in a year. This calculation provides the total number of breaths taken by an astronaut in a year.
Recommended video:
Guided course
6:34
Fluid Speed & Volume Flow Rate

Multiplication of Volumes

Once you have the number of breaths per year, multiply this by the volume of air per breath to find the total volume of air breathed by one astronaut. Since there are four astronauts, multiply the result by four to get the total volume of air breathed by all astronauts in a year.
Recommended video:
Guided course
05:21
Volume Thermal Expansion