College

If a gas has a gauge pressure of 156 kPa, its absolute pressure is approximately:

A. 100 kPa
B. 56 kPa
C. 300 kPa
D. 256 kPa

Answer :

To find the absolute pressure from the given gauge pressure, we need to understand the relationship between gauge pressure, atmospheric pressure, and absolute pressure.

1. Gauge Pressure: This is the pressure of the gas compared to the atmospheric pressure. It doesn't include the atmospheric pressure in its measurement.

2. Atmospheric Pressure: This is the pressure exerted by the Earth's atmosphere. It's commonly considered to be approximately 101 kPa at sea level.

3. Absolute Pressure: This is the total pressure exerted by the gas, including the atmospheric pressure.

The formula to calculate absolute pressure is:

[tex]\[ \text{Absolute Pressure} = \text{Gauge Pressure} + \text{Atmospheric Pressure} \][/tex]

Given:
- Gauge Pressure = 156 kPa
- Atmospheric Pressure = 101 kPa

Calculating Absolute Pressure:
[tex]\[ \text{Absolute Pressure} = 156 \, \text{kPa} + 101 \, \text{kPa} = 257 \, \text{kPa} \][/tex]

Upon rounding, since none of the options directly provide the result, 257 kPa is close to an actual calculated value but matches 256 kPa as the best multiple-answer choice. Therefore, the correct choice that corresponds closely to the calculated result is:

D. 256 kPa