1. What will happen to the pressure in your tires if the temperature drops 40 degrees over the night? a) Pressure will increase b) Pressure will decrease c) Pressure will not change d) Cannot determine 2. Explain, on a molecular level, why this happens.
by 
alangardner
ANSWERS: 1
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The number of molecules in the tire remains constant, but the temperature of the molecules drop, meaning that they are traveling more slowly. Pressure is a result of the molecules bumping into each other and the walls of the container. If they are moving more slowly, they will not run into the container walls with as much force, which means the resulting pressure goes down in proportion to the temperature. You can verify this using the ideal gas law: PV = nRT Solving for P, it's P = (nRT)/V n = number of molecules, a constant in this case R = universal gas constant T = Temperature, which is dropping in this case. V = Volume, which is constant in this case. Since the only thing that is varying is the Temperature, and n, R, V are constants, the Pressure, P will go down.
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