At standard atmospheric pressure, water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. However, on the summit of Mount Everest, the atmospheric pressure is much lower than standard atmospheric pressure. What is the effect of this lower pressure on the phase diagram of water?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Consider the scenario: a lower atmospheric pressure at the summit of Mount Everest affects water's phase behavior. 
Option a: 'The boiling point of water will decrease, and it will take less time for water to boil.' This aligns with the Clapeyron behavior on a P-T diagram: at lower external pressure, water reaches its boiling state at a lower temperature, so boiling begins sooner when heat is applied, and thus it can boil with less energy input than at 1 atm; the phrase 'take less time' is somewhat context-dependent but is reasonable under a fixed heat input as the temperature required is lower. 
Option b: 'The boiling point of water will remain the same, but it will take longer for water to boil.' The boiling point is not invariant to pressure; at lower pressure, the boiling point decreases, so this statement is incorrect because the temperature threshold changes. Also, boiling typically occurs more readily, not more slowly, when pressure is reduced, given comparable heating, so the time aspect is not supported. 
Option c: 'The boiling point of water will remain the same, but it will take less time for water to boil.' Again, the boiling point is not invariant with pressure; lowering external pressure lowers the boiling temperature, so claiming the boiling point remains the same is incorrect. The 'less time' claim could be argued in some setups, but it contradicts the fundamental pressure–temperature relationship for phase change. 
Option d: 'The boiling point of water will increase, and it will take longer for water to boil.' This directly conflicts with known thermodynamics: reducing ambient pressure lowers the boiling point, not raises it; claiming an increased boiling point would require higher external pressure or different constraints, so this choice is incorrect. 
In summary, the core concept is that vapor pressure equals ambient pressure at the boiling point; at Everest’s lower pressure, water reaches vapor equilibrium at a lower temperature, so boiling begins at a lower temperature than 100°C. This makes option a the best description among the given statements, while options b, c, and d misstate the fundamental pressure–temperature relationship of boiling.

PHAS0006_24-25 Week 3 Quiz

At standard atmospheric pressure, water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. However, on the summit of Mount Everest, the atmospheric pressure is much lower than standard atmospheric pressure. What is the effect of this lower pressure on the phase diagram of water?

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