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Re: [Phys-L] Cabin pressure



…actually I believe that the once per flight cycling of the differential pressures
stressing and expanding the fuselage is one of the most important factors
limiting the life of aircraft. I’d be happy to learn more or different. Safe travels.

Dan M

Dan MacIsaac, AAPT Fellow & Professor of Physics, SUNY-Buffalo State College
SAMC278 BSC, 1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo NY 14222 USA 1-716-878-3802
<macisadl@buffalostate.edu> Physics Graduate Coordinator;
Editor: The Science Teachers Bulletin (STANYS)







On Jul 2, 2022, at 12:47, Antti Savinainen via Phys-l <phys-l@mail.phys-l.org> wrote:

Hi all,

I'm waiting for a plane to Santorini and I overheard a conversation with a
dad and his about 10 year old son. The boy asked something, and the dad
replied:

"The air pressure at 10 km is much smaller than on the ground. The pressure
difference between the cabin and outside is decreased by having a decreased
cabin pressure, something like we have at 3 km. If this were not done, the
airplane structure should be more sturdy to sustain the force due to
pressure difference."

Is the explanation correct? I don't know much about aeroplane design, but
the explanations involves a valid physical idea.

At any rate, I quite like the way how the dad answered the boy's question.

Regards,

Antti Savinainen, PhD
Kuopio Lyseo HS
Finland
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