The outlet of a bicycle pump is used to inflate a football as illustrated in the diagram above. Why does the pressure of the air inside the pump increases a...

Assessment: WAEC SSCE - Physics - 2013 (Objective) Subject: Physics

Question 1 Report


The outlet of a bicycle pump is used to inflate a football as illustrated in the diagram above. Why does the pressure of the air inside the pump increases as the pump handle is slowly pushed downward at constant temperature?

Answer Details
As the pump handle is slowly pushed downwards, the volume of the pump is reduced. This means that the same amount of air inside the pump is now occupying a smaller space. Since the temperature is constant, the increase in pressure results from an increase in the frequency of collisions of air molecules with the walls of the pump. The air molecules are being compressed into a smaller volume, leading to an increase in pressure. Therefore, the correct answer is: the frequency of collision of the air molecules with the walls of the pump is increased.

Download The App On Google Playstore

Everything you need to excel in your exams

Green Bridge CBT Mobile App
Personalized AI Learning Chat Assistant
200,000+ Exam Questions Across IGCSE, JAMB, WAEC & NECO
Over 3,900 Lesson Notes
Offline Support - Learn Anytime, Anywhere
Green Bridge Timetable
Literature Summaries & Potential Questions
Track Your Performance & Progress
In-depth Explanations for Comprehensive Learning