How Do Temperature and Pressure Changes Affect Tire Pressure?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on how temperature and pressure changes affect tire pressure, specifically when transitioning from a high altitude to sea level. Initially, a tire has a gauge pressure of 30 psi at 1.7 atm and 300K. Upon descending to sea level, where the atmospheric pressure is 1.0 atm and the tire temperature rises to 350K, the gauge pressure will actually be lower than expected due to the decrease in external atmospheric pressure. The confusion arises from the incorrect assumption about atmospheric pressure at altitude, which was clarified to be 0.7 atm instead of 1.7 atm.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of gas laws, particularly the Ideal Gas Law.
  • Knowledge of gauge pressure versus absolute pressure.
  • Familiarity with temperature scales, specifically Kelvin.
  • Basic principles of atmospheric pressure variations with altitude.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the Ideal Gas Law and its application in real-world scenarios.
  • Learn about the differences between gauge pressure and absolute pressure.
  • Explore how temperature affects gas pressure in closed systems.
  • Investigate atmospheric pressure changes with altitude and their implications.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for automotive engineers, physics students, and anyone interested in understanding the principles of gas behavior under varying temperature and pressure conditions.

amandamarie29
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1. A tire of an automobile has a gauge pressure of 30 psi at the top of a mountain, and the air temperature inside the tire is 300K. The atmospheric pressure at the top of the mountain is 1.7 atm. The car is driven down to sea level, where the atmospheric pressure is 1.0 atm and the air inside the tire is heated to 350 K. At sea level, assuming no leaks, the gauge pressure of the tire will be:

A) lower.
B the same.
C) higher.



2. I put C. higher because the pressure increases when temperature increases. But that was wrong and i don't have a clue why...
 
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Who makes up these problems?

Atmospheric pressure 1.7 atm @ top of a mountain and 1 atm @ Sea Level ? !
 
Well, are you sure that atmospheric pressure at the top of the mountain isn't 0,7 atm, rather than 1.7 atm.

That would make a BIG difference.
 
oh yes.. its 0.7 atm.. sorry typo =)
 

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