What happens to oxygen pressure in a system if the temperature decreases?

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When the temperature in a system that contains a gas, such as oxygen, decreases, the behavior of the gas can be explained through the principles of gas laws, particularly Boyle’s Law and Charles’s Law. According to Charles's Law, for a given amount of gas at constant volume, the pressure of the gas is directly proportional to its temperature measured in Kelvin. Thus, if the temperature decreases, the pressure of the gas will also decrease, provided the volume is held constant.

This relationship is fundamentally due to the kinetic theory of gases, which states that gas molecules move more slowly at lower temperatures, resulting in fewer collisions with the container walls and, consequently, lower pressure. Therefore, if the temperature of the system drops, the molecules in the oxygen will have reduced energy, leading to a decrease in pressure. This aligns with the understanding of how temperature and pressure interact in gases within a closed system.

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