

We know that for the same sample of gas, the product of the pressure and volume in one state is equal to the product of the pressure and volume in another state: What is the new corresponding pressure?Īnswer: This problem requires us to use the second formulation of Boyle’s law. Q3.) A canister of hexane has a volume of 2.9 L and a pressure of 1.45 atm. So the volume of the helium-filled balloon at 3.6 atm would be 0.36 L. What is the volume of the balloon?Īnswer: Once again, plugging these value into our equation gives us:
THE MATRIX SCREENSAVER PHILIP SYMONS FULL
Q2.) A balloon full of helium (He) has a pressure of 3.6 atm and k = 1.31.


So the pressure of a 5.6 L canister of CO 2 would be 0.01 atm. Simply plugging these values into our equation gives us: What is the pressure of the CO 2?Īnswer: This one is easy. Q1.) A canister of CO 2 has a volume of 5.6 L and k = 0.54. Let’s see this equation in action with some simple problems. If the temperature also changed during this process, then the kinetic energy (movement) of the particles would also change and Boyle’s law would not hold.īoyle’s law gives us a simple equation to predict the behavior of gases. So, the gas exerts more force per unit area, which is an increase in pressure. Because the gas has the same speed and momentum, they still exert the same amount of force, but that force is distributed over a smaller area. Because the container is shrinking the molecules have less space to move around in. Temperature is a measure of the kinetic energy (movement) or particles, so keeping the temperature constant means that the particles have the same speed and momentum. Now imagine we slowly shrink the container while keeping the amount of gas and the temperature the same. As these particles move around, they bump into the walls of their container and produce a force, i.e. Gases are made out of billions of tiny individual particles whizzing around randomly through space. Why should we expect this law to hold? Simply thinking about the nature of a gas should let us see the connection. As long as the temperature stays the same, the gas has a constant amount of energy, so k should stay that same.Īn animated image showing the relationship between pressure and volume. This law rests on the assumption that the temperature of the gas stays the same. In this equation, P is given in atmospheres (atm) and V is in liters (L). These discrepancies are normally too small to be significant for experimentation as most gases behave like ideal gases at moderate temperatures and pressures. In actually, gas molecules have a non-zero size, exert intermolecular forces on each other, and do not undergo perfectly elastic collisions. Ideal gas particles are also assumed to have perfectly elastic collisions in which no energy is lost. An ideal gas is assumed to be made out of point particles that do not exert intermolecular forces on each other. The derivation of this law relies on a few assumptions about the nature of the gas. Boyle’s Lawīoyle’s law states that the pressure and volume of an ideal gas at a constant temperature are inversely related. The other three laws, Charles’ law, Gay-Lussac’s law, and Avogadro’s law can be combined with Boyle’s law to give you the ideal gas law, an equation that describes the state of any hypothetical ideal gas. This equation lets us take a sample of gas in one state and predict what the pressure or volume will be in another state, assuming the temperature remains constant.īoyle’s law is one of the 4 gas laws, each which describe the behavior of a sample of an ideal gas. Since the product of pressure and volume is constant, the product of the pressure and volume in one state should equal the product of the pressure and volume in another state. This mathematical law tells us that the product of pressure and volume is constant for a given sample of gas, assuming the temperature remains constant. Where P is pressure, V is volume, and k is a constant. Mathematically, Boyle’s law can be expressed in two ways: In other words, Boyle’s law tells us that as the volume of a gas decreases, the pressure of that gas increases. Boyle’s law states that for a fixed amount of gas at a constant temperature, the volume of the gas is inversely proportional to the pressure of the gas. Boyle’s law, sometimes referred to as Mariotte’s law, is a mathematical law that describes the behavior of a sample of an ideal gas.
