Final answer:
Increasing the temperature of a chemical reaction typically increases the reaction rate due to more frequent and energetic collisions. The effect of temperature on equilibrium concentrations of reactants and products depends on whether the reaction is endothermic or exothermic, shifting it towards products in the former, and towards reactants in the latter case.
Step-by-step explanation:
A good way to fill out the hypothesis statement would be: "If the temperature increases, then the rate of the reaction will increase because increased temperature causes reactant particles to move faster, leading to a greater frequency of effective collisions that are more likely to surmount the activation energy barrier and lead to product formation."
When considering chemical equilibrium and temperature changes, it is important to know whether the reaction is endothermic or exothermic. In an endothermic reaction, an increase in temperature can be thought of as adding a reactant, which shifts the equilibrium towards the products. Conversely, in an exothermic reaction, an increase in temperature adds to the products, shifting the equilibrium towards the reactants.
Therefore, increasing the temperature of a system at equilibrium will change the concentrations of reactants and products depending on the nature of the reaction. For an endothermic reaction, the concentration of products will increase, while for an exothermic reaction, the concentrations of reactants will increase.