What Is Boyle's Law?:
Boyle's Law explains how the volume of a gas varies with the surrounding pressure. Many aspects of scuba diving physics become clear once you understand this simple gas law. Boyle's Law is:
PV = c
In this equation, “P” represents pressure, “V” signifies volume and “c” represents a constant (fixed) number.
If you are not a math person, this may sound really confusing – don't despair! This equation simply states that for a given gas (such as air in a scuba diver's buoyancy compensator), if you multiply the pressure surrounding a gas by the volume of gas you will always end up with the same number.
Because the answer to the equation can not change (that's why it is called a constant), we know that if we increase the pressure surrounding a gas (P), the volume of the gas (V) must get smaller. Conversely, if we decrease the pressure surrounding a gas, the volume of the gas will become greater. That's it! That's Boyle's entire law.
Almost. The only other aspect of Boyle's Law that you need to know is that the law only applies at a constant temperature. If you increase or decrease the temperature of a gas, the equation doesn't work anymore.
How Does Boyle's Law Apply to Scuba Diving?:
Examples of Boyle's Law in the Dive Environment:
Those who have been scuba diving have experienced Boyle's Law firsthand. For example:
• As a diver ascends, water pressure decreases and the air in his buoyancy compensator (BCD) expands. This is why he has to release excess air from his BCD as he ascends – otherwise the expanding air will cause him to lose control of his buoyancy.
• As a diver descends, the water pressure around him increases, compressing the air in his ears. He must equalize the pressure in his ears to avoid pain and a possible ear injury called an ear barotrauma.
Scuba Diving Safety Rules Derived From Boyle's Law:
Boyle's law explains some of the most important safety rules in scuba diving. Here are two examples:
• Don't hold your breath underwater. A diver should never hold his breath underwater because if he ascends (even a few feet) to an area of lesser water pressure, the air trapped in his lungs will expand according to Boyle's Law. The expanding air can stretch the diver's lungs and lead to a pulmonary barotrauma.
• Ascend Slowly. A diver's body absorbs compressed nitrogen gas while he dives. As he ascends to a depth with less water pressure, this nitrogen gas expands according to Boyle's Law. If a diver does not ascend slowly enough for his body to eliminate this expanding nitrogen gas, it can form tiny bubbles in his blood and tissue and cause decompression sickness.
Why Is a Constant Temperature Necessary to Use Boyle's Law?:
As mentioned above, Boyle's Law only applies to gases at a constant temperature. Heating a gas causes it to expand, and cooling a gas causes it to compress. A diver can witness this phenomenon in action when he submerges a warm scuba tank in cooler water. The pressure gauge reading of a warm tank will drop when the tank is submerged in cool water as the gas inside the tank compresses.
Boyle's law enables divers to anticipate how air will behave during a dive. This law helps divers to understand the reasons behind many of scuba diving's safety guidelines.
