[thechat] sport and life?
Seb
seb at members.evolt.org
Thu Dec 6 19:46:19 CST 2001
>>>Just a hunch, but wouldn't this essentially turn the diver into a depth
>>>charge? How deep would you need to go before (theoretically / actually)
>>>exploding?
Depends on the air mix... you need more nitrogen at greater depths or risk
oxygen toxicity (really, really nasty seizures and death). WWII-era
submarines that ended up on the ocean floor were known for exploding
(imploding is when external forces induce catastrophic structural failure)
due to electrical sparks, etc. Lighting a match in atmospheric air at 200
metres would cause it to burn like an arc-welding torch, and combust the
atmosphere.
Diving to 20 - 30 metres wouldn't be anywhere near as spectacular, though
it would probably cause a cigarette to flash through, rather than
smouldering. God alone knows what would happen with a butane lighter at
that depth.
As martin says, anyone even joking about that kind of stunt near a dive
would probably get fed to the nearest carnivorous fish.
Seb.
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