Staying Dry Underwater

By: Jon Lockie &

Tom Baldwin
Materials:
• Basin of water
• Handkerchief
• 250mL cup

Procedure: Place the handkerchief in the cup so that it fills 200mL of the cup. Invert the
cup and push it underwater. Bring the cup back up and pull the handkerchief out; it will
be dry.

Explanation: As you push the cup underwater, you catch a pocket of air in the cup. It
cannot escape unless you tilt the cup (because air is less dense than water). The deeper in
the water you go, the more the pressure of the water will compress the air and work its
way into the cup and eventually soak the handkerchief. How deep must you go before
the handkerchief gets wet?

Calculations:
• To begin this problem, we must realize what we know about water, air, and the
pressure that is associated with each.
M air = 1.204 mkg3
P1 = ρ1 RT • We must also observe the given parameters.
P2 = ρ 2 RT
V1 = 250mL
P2 ρ 2
= V2 = 200mL
P1 ρ1
• We can then convert our parameters to make
calculations easier.

1000 L = 1m 3
1m 3
.250 L × = 2.5 × 10 −4 m 3
1000 L
M = 1.204 mkg3 × 2.5 × 10 −4 m 3 = 3.01 × 10 −4 kg

• We can find the density of the air when it has 250mL and we can find the density
of air when it is compressed to 200mL by realizing that the mass will remain the
same but the volume changes.
 M 3.01× 10 −4 kg
ρ1 = = −4
= 1.204 mkg3
V1 2.5 × 10 m 3

M 3.01×10 −4 kg
ρ2 = = −4
= 1.505 mkg3
V2 2.0 ×10 m 3

• Using the Ideal Gas Law, we can create a ratio between the two pressures (R and
T cancel out).
kg
P2 ρ 2 1.505 m3
= = = 1.25
P1 ρ1 1.204 mkg3
• The pressure required to compress the air to 200mL can be found using this ratio
and by realizing that P1 is the atmospheric pressure.
P1 = 101.3kPa
P2
= 1.25
101.3kPa
P2 = 126.6kPa
• H or depth at which the air is compressed to 200mL (thus wetting the
handkerchief) is found using the following equation.

Pgage = ρgh
ρ water = 1000 mkg3
g = 9.81 sm2
Pabs = Patm + Pgage
126.6kPa = 101.3kPa + 1000 mkg3 × 9.81 sm2 × h
h = 2.58m

• You would have to push the cup 2.58m down into the water before the
handkerchief gets wet.