Science Fair Project
Can air temperature affect tire pressure
Carter Hicks | Mrs. McNees | Syracuse Jr. High
Statement of the Problem
• Can air temperature affect the pressure of a tire?
Research
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Summarize your research here in three to five significant facts:
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The faster molecules move, the hotter the air.
Because there is more space between the molecules, the air is less dense than the surrounding matter and the hot air floats
upward.
Temperature affects air pressure by causing the air to either become more or less dense, which expands or lowers its pressure.
Basically, the cooler the air, the more it contracts and becomes more dense.
Air molecules have weight and take up space and air can be compressed by removing the space between air molecules.
Citations (your https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/Summer_Training/FranktonES/Convection_main_page.html
https://www.reference.com/science/temperature-affect-air-pressure-90b37da760fa9d12
Include Author, Title of the work, Year published, and page #
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Ken kakasuleff, Convection activities, Jun. 12 2014
© 2016 Reference An IAC Publishing Labs Company
Hypothesis
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If I pump up a tire tube and leave it in different
environment at different temperature for one houre, then
I will know that the molecules in the tire tube would be
more dense, because the colder air gets the more dense
molecules become which would make the tire be more
flat.
Procedure: Materials
• Tire tube
• Tire gauge
• Pensile and notebo0k
• Bike tire with tube
• Tire pump
• Space heater.
Procedure: Steps
1. Pump tire to 15 psi
2. Place tire in desired location
3. Measure temperature
4. Time for one hour
5. Remove form location
6. Measure the psi.
Variables
• Constants: Starting tire psi, and time in location
• Controlled variables: the beginning tire pressure.
• Independent (manipulated) variable: temperature of the
test location
• Dependent (measured) variable: use time pressure gauge
to measure psi after one hour in text location.
Data/Observations
• When I put the bike tube in test environment and left it
out for an hour, I found out that the air pressure lowers
when it is colder. Then when I put the tire tube in a hotter
environment, I discovered that the PSI in the tire
increased.
Data/observations
Out side at night time
• Air temperature before: 69 degrees. Air temperature out
side: 14 degrees. And was left out side for an hour.
• Psi before: 15. Psi after 11.5
Data/observations
In a HOT room
• Air temperature before: 69. Air temperature in hot room:
75. It was left in the hot room for an hour.
• Psi before: 15. Psi after 15.5
Data/observation
Out side during day time
• Air temperature before: 69. Air temperature outside: 26.
and left it out for an hour
• Psi before: 15. Psi after: 12
Data/observation
In a room
• Air temperature before:69. Air temperature after: 72. and
left it in for an hour
• Psi before 15. psi after 15
Data/Observations
In this picture the blue on the left side is representing that cold air does
not make a lot of PSI, and on the right side the red is indicating that hot air
will make air pressure to increase. This is because hot air makes the air
molecules to expand, and in my project the air molecules make the tire
expand which will have more psi. The cold air makes the air molecules to
slowdown and squeeze together and in this case, will make my tire tube
decrease in the PSI.
Conclusion
My hypothesis was correct, because I saw that when I put a
tire tube in a cold environment, the air molecules will slow
down and they will shrink to each other, making the psi in
the tube be lower. I also saw that when I put a tire tube in a
hot environment, the air molecules will expand, and in this
case, it made the psi in the bike increase.