

The purpose of the respiratory system is to perform gas exchange.At high altitudes, P atm decreases, but concentration does not change the partial pressure decrease is due to the reduction in P atm. Therefore, the partial pressure of oxygen is: PO 2 = (760 mm Hg) (0.21) = 160 mm Hg, while for carbon dioxide: PCO 2 = (760 mm Hg) (0.0004) = 0.3 mm Hg. The pressure of the atmosphere at sea level is 760 mm Hg. P atm, the atmospheric pressure, is the sum of all of the partial pressures of the atmospheric gases added together: Patm = PN2 + PO 2 + PH 2O + PCO 2= 760 mm Hg. The partial pressure of any gas can be calculated by: P = (Patm) (percent content in mixture). Carbon dioxide, however, is found in relatively small amounts (0.04 percent) therefore, the partial pressure for oxygen is much greater than that of carbon dioxide. Approximately 21 percent of atmospheric gas is oxygen. The pressure for an individual gas in the mixture is the partial pressure of that gas. Each gas component of that mixture exerts a pressure. This collision between gas particles and vessel walls produces gas pressure.Īir is a mixture of gases: primarily nitrogen (N 2 78.6 percent), oxygen (O 2 20.9 percent), water vapor (H 2O 0.5 percent), and carbon dioxide (CO 2 0.04 percent). Gases move freely with their movement resulting in the constant hitting of particles against vessel walls. The respiratory process can be better understood by examining the properties of gases. partial pressure: the pressure one component of a mixture of gases would contribute to the total pressure.atmospheric pressure: the pressure caused by the weight of the atmosphere above an area.The partial pressure of oxygen in the atmosphere is much greater in comparison to the lungs, creating a pressure gradient this allows oxygen to flow from the atmosphere into the lungs during inhalation.In the atmosphere, the partial pressure of oxygen is much greater than the partial pressure of carbon dioxide.Atmospheric pressure is the sum of all the partial pressures of the gases in the atmosphere, including oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water vapor.
