Question: The rate at which barometric pressure decreases with altitude is proportional to the barometric pressure at that altitude. If the barometric pressure is measured in inches of mercury, and the altitude in feet, then the constant of proportionality is 3.7 · 10-5. The barometric pressure at sea level is 29.92 inches of mercury.
(a) Calculate the barometric pressure at the top of Mount Whitney, 14,500 feet (the highest mountain in the US outside Alaska), and at the top of Mount Everest, 29,000 feet (the highest mountain in the world).
(b) People cannot easily survive at a pressure below 15 inches of mercury. What is the highest altitude to which people can safely go?