Air Pressure and Elevation Effects on Boiling Point

Overview

Objectives/Goals I wanted to see whether it is the air pressure or the elevation that decreases the boiling point of water as elevation increases. My hypothesis was that it is the air pressure. Methods/Materials I conducted an experiment in two parts. In the first part of the experiment, I drove up the hill from about 2000ft to about 7000ft, boiled water, and recorded the elevation, air pressure, and boiling point at every elevation marker along the way. I repeated this part of the experiment about two weeks later to get multiple results. In the second part of the experiment, I stayed at home (where the elevation was constant), boiled water, and recorded the air pressure and boiling point for about two weeks. I hoped that as the weather changed, the air pressure would change also. Results The first part of the experiment showed that as the elevation increased, the boiling point decreased linearly; as the air pressure increased, the boiling point increased linearly; and as the elevation increased, the air pressure decreased linearly. During the second part of the experiment, however, although the weather varied, the air pressure changed very little, so the change in boiling points was too small to measure. Conclusions/Discussion I found that increased elevation and decreased air pressure decreased the boiling point. The second part of the experiment was inconclusive because of the small changes in barometric pressure.

Competition history

• CSEF 2007 Earth & Planetary Sciences · Entry J0726

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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