Many of you may have noticed the phenomenon that basketballs get flat if the weather is cold. If a basketball was inflated to a gauge pressure of 60,000 Pa when the temperature outside was 2 0 ∘ C , what is the gauge pressure inside the basketball in Pa when the temperature is 1 0 ∘ C ?
Details and assumptions
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Pressure is directly proportional to temperature, so Temperature Pressure is constant. Therefore (correcting for gauge pressure and converting to Kelvin): 2 0 + 2 7 3 . 1 5 6 0 0 0 0 + 1 0 1 3 2 5 = 1 0 + 2 7 3 . 1 5 P new + 1 0 1 3 2 5 . Hence P new = 5 4 4 9 6 ≈ 5 4 5 0 0 .
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First of all, it's not a mechanical problem. It's a thermodynamics problem!
From the ideal gas law we have T P V = constant, where P is absolute pressure (gauge pressure + atmospheric pressure) and T is absolute temperature ( t ∘ C + 2 7 3 . 1 5 ). Since the basketball's volume is assumed constant, V 1 = V 2 , we obtain T 1 P 1 V 1 2 0 + 2 7 3 . 1 5 6 0 , 0 0 0 + 1 0 1 , 3 2 5 P g a u g e = T 2 P 2 V 2 = 1 0 + 2 7 3 . 1 5 P g a u g e + 1 0 1 , 3 2 5 ≈ 5 4 , 4 9 4 . 0 2 7 Pa