Atmospheric pressure (measured in atm) decreases by 11.5% for every 1000-meter increase in elevation. At sea level the atmospheric pressure is 1 atm. What is the 8000-meter decay factor for the atmospheric pressure (rounded to the nearest thousandth)?
A) 0.376
B) 0.885
C) 0.985
D) 0.998
E) 0.115

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The decay factor for atmospheric pressure with each 1000-meter increase in elevation is 1 - 0.115 = 0.885 (since the pressure decreases by 11.5%, or 0.115 in decimal form). For an 8000-meter increase, the decay factor is applied 8 times, so we calculate $0.885^8$, which rounds to approximately 0.376.

Atmospheric Pressure (Measured in Atm) Decreases by 11