In a 2:1 nitrous oxide to oxygen gas mixture, what fraction of the inspired gas is oxygen?

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Multiple Choice

In a 2:1 nitrous oxide to oxygen gas mixture, what fraction of the inspired gas is oxygen?

Explanation:
In gas mixtures, the fraction of oxygen is the number of oxygen parts divided by the total parts of the mix. A 2:1 nitrous oxide to oxygen mix has two parts N2O and one part O2, so the total is three parts and the oxygen portion is one part. Therefore the fraction of inspired oxygen is 1/3, which is about 0.333 or 33%. This is why 33% oxygen is the correct answer. If the mix were 66% oxygen, that would correspond to a 1:2 ratio (oxygen two parts to one part N2O); if it were 25%, the oxygen would be one part in a four-part mix; and 100% would be pure oxygen with no nitrous oxide.

In gas mixtures, the fraction of oxygen is the number of oxygen parts divided by the total parts of the mix. A 2:1 nitrous oxide to oxygen mix has two parts N2O and one part O2, so the total is three parts and the oxygen portion is one part. Therefore the fraction of inspired oxygen is 1/3, which is about 0.333 or 33%.

This is why 33% oxygen is the correct answer. If the mix were 66% oxygen, that would correspond to a 1:2 ratio (oxygen two parts to one part N2O); if it were 25%, the oxygen would be one part in a four-part mix; and 100% would be pure oxygen with no nitrous oxide.

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