Question

Atmospheric pressure P decreases as altitude h increases. At a temperature of 15°C, the pressure is 101.3 kilopascals (kPa) at sea level, 87.1 kPa at h = 1 km, and 74.9 kPa at h = 2km. Use a linear approximation to estimate the atmospheric pressure at an altitude of 3 km.
___________ kPa

Answer 1

101.3/87.1 = 14.2
87.1/74.9 = 12.2
each gap was 1km
(14.2+12.2)/2 = average pressure decrease per kilometer (linearly) = 13.2
101.3 - (13.2 * 3) = 61.7kPa