The local weather forecaster reports that the current barometric pressure is 30.4 inch of
mercury. (1 inch = 2.54 cm). What is the current pressure in atmospheres?
30.4 in x (2.54 cm/in) x (10 mm/cm) x (1 atm/760 mm Hg) = ?
To convert the barometric pressure from inches of mercury (inHg) to atmospheres (atm), we need to use the following conversion factor:
1 atm = 29.92 inHg
Given that the current barometric pressure is 30.4 inHg, we can calculate the pressure in atmospheres as follows:
Pressure (atm) = Pressure (inHg) / Conversion factor
Let's plug in the values and calculate the pressure in atmospheres:
Pressure (atm) = 30.4 inHg / 29.92 inHg
To make the calculation easier, let's convert inches to centimeters using the given conversion factor of 1 inch = 2.54 cm:
Pressure (atm) = (30.4 inHg × 2.54 cm/inch) / (29.92 inHg × 2.54 cm/inch)
Now we can simplify the equation:
Pressure (atm) = (30.4 × 2.54) / 29.92
Pressure (atm) ≈ 2.5899 atm
Therefore, the current pressure in atmospheres is approximately 2.5899 atm.
To convert the barometric pressure from inches of mercury to atmospheres, we can use the conversion factor that 1 atmosphere is equal to 29.92 inches of mercury.
Given:
Barometric pressure in inches of mercury = 30.4 inHg
We can set up a conversion using this information:
30.4 inHg * (1 atmosphere / 29.92 inHg)
We can cancel out the units of inches of mercury, leaving us with the pressure in atmospheres:
30.4 / 29.92 atmospheres
Calculating this expression gives us the answer:
30.4 / 29.92 ≈ 1.015 atmospheres
Therefore, the current pressure is approximately 1.015 atmospheres.