A sealed rigid steel cylinder contains compressed air at 20 ∘C20\ ^\circ\text{C}20 ∘C. The cylinder is left in direct sunlight and the temperature of the air inside rises to 55 ∘C55\ ^\circ\text{C}55 ∘C.
Explain why the pressure of the air inside the cylinder increases.
A student says that the mass of air inside the cylinder must have increased because the pressure increased. Explain why the student is wrong.
40 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Physics 3.3 Particle model and pressure, covering 3.3.1 Particle motion in gases, 3.3.2 Pressure in gases, and 3.3.3 Increasing the pressure of a gas (HT only). Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.