High School

Suppose the pressure of a bulb is 25 psi at 20°C. What would the pressure be at 0°C?

a. 25 psi
b. 18 psi
c. 22 psi
d. 20 psi

Answer :

Final answer:

To determine the pressure at 0°C, the ideal gas law is used, showing that the pressure would be just under 22 psi, assuming constant volume and mole number.

Explanation:

The question concerns the change in gas pressure inside a bulb as a function of temperature, which is a typical physics problem involving the ideal gas law. Given that the pressure at 20°C is 25 psi, we can use the relationship provided by the ideal gas law (P1/T1 = P2/T2) to determine the pressure at 0°C, assuming the volume and the number of moles of gas remain constant.

First, convert the temperatures to an absolute scale (Kelvin):
20°C = 293.15 K
0°C = 273.15 K

Then, apply the formula:
P1/T1 = P2/T2
(25 psi) / (293.15 K) = P2 / (273.15 K)

By cross-multiplying and solving for P2, we find:
P2 = (25 psi) * (273.15 K) / (293.15 K)
P2 \22 psi