What basic principle underlies how gas laws affect diving?

The principle that gases behave differently under pressure is fundamental to understanding diving and is primarily governed by gas laws, such as Boyle's Law and Henry's Law. Boyle's Law states that the volume of a gas is inversely proportional to the pressure exerted on it, meaning that as pressure increases, the volume of the gas decreases. This has direct implications for divers, as the pressure increase underwater causes gases, such as nitrogen, to dissolve into the body’s tissues more readily.

Henry's Law relates to how gases are absorbed by liquids, stating that the amount of gas that dissolves in a liquid is proportional to the partial pressure of that gas above the liquid. As divers descend, the increased ambient pressure leads to a higher partial pressure of gases, resulting in greater absorption into tissues. Conversely, as divers ascend, the pressure decreases, and gases come out of solution, which can lead to decompression sickness if the ascent is too rapid.

Understanding this behavior is crucial for safe diving practices, such as the importance of ascending slowly and performing safety stops to allow the body to safely off-gas the nitrogen that has been absorbed during the dive. Thus, the correct answer highlights a critical aspect of diving physics, emphasizing how variations in pressure significantly influence gas behavior within