Answer to Question #84530 in General Chemistry for Poop

Question

A trucks tires have the correct air pressure at room temperature (about 20 degrees Celsius) Explain why a tire is more likely to explode when the truck is driven in hot weather than cold weather

Answer 1

According to Combined and Ideal Gas Laws

P₁V₁/T₁ = P₂V₂/T₂

If the volume of a tire is constant, then

P₁/T₁ =P₂/T₂

Consider the first situation when the weather is hot, for example the temperature of air is 40C.

P₁/(273.15 + 20) = P₂ /(273.15+ 40)

P₂ = 1.068 * P₁

The pressure inside the tire increases when the outside temperature increases. At a certain moment the pressure could become so high that the tire could explode .

Cosider the second situation when the weather is cold, for example the outside tempeture is T = -10C.

P₁/(273.15+20) = P₂/(273.15 -10)

P₂ = 0.898*P₁

The pressure inside the tire decreases as the outside temperature decreases. In the second situation ( cold weather) the tire will not explode .