Atmospheric air contains ____ % of oxygen?

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Multiple Choice

Atmospheric air contains ____ % of oxygen?

Explanation:
Oxygen makes up about 21% of the air we breathe. At sea level, the atmosphere is roughly 78% nitrogen and the remaining small amounts are other gases, with oxygen accounting for about one-fifth of the mix. This means that when someone is breathing room air, their FiO2 is about 0.21. Understanding this helps explain why supplemental oxygen is used to raise the amount of oxygen delivered to a patient. The other options aren’t accurate reflections of atmospheric composition—nitrogen is the larger component, not oxygen, and 5% or 16% would not match what’s normally present in ambient air.

Oxygen makes up about 21% of the air we breathe. At sea level, the atmosphere is roughly 78% nitrogen and the remaining small amounts are other gases, with oxygen accounting for about one-fifth of the mix. This means that when someone is breathing room air, their FiO2 is about 0.21. Understanding this helps explain why supplemental oxygen is used to raise the amount of oxygen delivered to a patient. The other options aren’t accurate reflections of atmospheric composition—nitrogen is the larger component, not oxygen, and 5% or 16% would not match what’s normally present in ambient air.

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