Report Describes the Physics of the "Bends"
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 09:36
in Physics & Chemistry
As you go about your day-to-day activities, tiny bubbles of nitrogen come and go inside your tissues. This is not a problem unless you happen to experience large changes in pressure, as scuba divers and astronauts may. During large, fast pressure drops, bubbles can grow, causing "the bends." A study in the Journal of Chemical Physics may provide a physical basis for the existence of these bubbles and help explain decompression sickness.