Boyle's law states that pressure is inversely proportional to volume, for a fixed amount of gas at constant temperature.
Key Concepts
\(p\propto {1\over V}\)
- \(p\) is pressure (Pa)
- \(V\) is volume (m3)
\(p_1V_1=p_2V_2\)
Boyle's law can be verified by measuring the pressure of a fixed mass of gas as its volume is changed. The graph of p vs V shows an inverse relationship.
The pressure of a gas increases when the volume is made smaller. This is because the molecules are closer to the walls and so collide with the walls more often. If the temperature is constant, so is the kinetic energy of the molecules and the force exerted by each collision.
Use quizzes to practise application of theory.
START QUIZ!
Fill in the gaps in this statement of Boyle's law
Word list; pressure, volume temperature, proportional, directly inversely, mass
The of a fixed of gas at constant is to the .
Boyle sounds like something to do with heating but it's not.
A syringe full of gas is lying on the table in the lab. If the volume is reduced to half the pressure will be:
Worth remembering that normal atmospheric pressure is about 100 kPa. Halving the volume will double the pressure.
The volume of a gas is increased from 10 mL to 50 mL.
If the initial pressure was 250 kPa the pressure now is:
5x volume so 1/5 pressure
The graph shows data from a Boyle's law experiment
Which of the following statements is true:
Can't conclude without plotting a best fit P = 1/V curve and for that you would need a computer. Oh! you have one.
Fill in the gaps for this explanation of why pressure increases with decreasing volume
Word list: force, volume, momentum, speed, density, area, pressure
The of a gas is caused by the change of of the molecules when they hit the walls of the container. Decreasing the increases the of the molecules so there will be more collisions per unit . So even though the molecules have the same the they exert will be greater.
If you were going to do an experiment to verify Boyle's law which quantities should you measure?
You should measure T as well so you know it is constant.
How much of Boyle's law have you understood?
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