BOMI Air Handling, Water Treatment & Plumbing Systems Practice Test

What happens to the boiling point when pressure is lowered?

It remains the same. It rises. It lowers. It becomes unpredictable.

Correct Answer:

It lowers.

Explanation:

Boiling point is the temperature at which a liquid’s vapor pressure equals the surrounding pressure. If you lower the surrounding pressure, that balance is reached at a lower temperature, so the liquid boils at a lower temperature. This is why water boils at lower temperatures on high mountains, where air pressure is reduced. In a vacuum, a liquid can even boil at room temperature because the external pressure is so low. The key idea is that boiling begins when vapor pressure matches external pressure, and lowering that external pressure lowers the required temperature for boiling.

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