If the temperature increases while the volume is held constant, what happens to the pressure?

If the temperature increases while the volume is held constant, what happens to the pressure?

• A. The pressure decreases
• B. The pressure remains constant
• C. The pressure increases
• D. The pressure becomes negative

Answer: (C)

When temperature rises while the volume is fixed, the pressure increases because the gas law P = nRT / V links pressure directly to temperature when the amount of gas and the volume are constant. As temperature goes up, the molecules have greater average kinetic energy, so they collide with the container walls more forcefully. Those more energetic collisions transfer more momentum to the walls, raising the pressure. Since n, R, and V are unchanged, P must increase in proportion to T. Negative pressure isn’t physically meaningful in this context, so the straightforward outcome is that pressure goes up.

When temperature rises while the volume is fixed, the pressure increases because the gas law P = nRT / V links pressure directly to temperature when the amount of gas and the volume are constant. As temperature goes up, the molecules have greater average kinetic energy, so they collide with the container walls more forcefully. Those more energetic collisions transfer more momentum to the walls, raising the pressure. Since n, R, and V are unchanged, P must increase in proportion to T. Negative pressure isn’t physically meaningful in this context, so the straightforward outcome is that pressure goes up.