As the temperature of a substance increases, what happens to its vapor pressure?

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As the temperature of a substance increases, its vapor pressure also increases. This phenomenon occurs because higher temperatures provide more energy to the molecules of the substance, allowing more of them to escape from the liquid (or solid) phase into the vapor phase. Essentially, when the temperature rises, a greater number of molecules have sufficient energy to overcome the intermolecular forces that keep them in the liquid state, resulting in an increase in vapor pressure.

This principle is foundational in understanding phase changes and is crucial in applications such as distillation, evaporation, and understanding weather patterns. In scenarios involving liquids, as the vapor pressure rises, it may eventually reach a point where it equals the atmospheric pressure, leading to boiling.

The relationship between temperature and vapor pressure is consistent across various substances, which is why the correct answer indicates that both the temperature and vapor pressure rise together.

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