What relationship does Boyle's law express?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Boyle's law expresses the inverse relationship between the pressure and volume of a gas at constant temperature. When volume increases, pressure decreases and vice versa, as per the formula \(P1V1 = P2V2\).

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Boyle's Law

Boyle's Law, named after physicist Robert Boyle, is a principle that describes how the pressure of a gas tends to increase as the volume of the container decreases, while temperature is held constant. This is expressed usually through the formula \( P_1V_1 = P_2V_2 \). Here, \(P_1\) and \(P_2\) represent the initial and final pressures, and \(V_1\) and \(V_2\) represent the initial and final volumes.
02

Boyle's law formula

Boyle's law can be formally expressed as: \( P_1V_1 = P_2V_2 \). This indicates that the product of the initial pressure and the initial volume is equal to the product of the final pressure and the final volume, assuming the temperature is constant.
03

Example of Boyle's Law

For example, if you have a gas at a pressure of 1 atm (\( P1 = 1 atm \)), and a volume of 2 liters (\( V1 = 2 L \)), and you compressed the gas to a volume of 1 liter (\( V2 = 1 L \)), Boyle's Law allows you to calculate the new pressure (\( P2 \)). Here, you plug the numbers in the formula which gives you \( (1 atm) * (2 L) = P2 * (1 L) \). Solving this equation for \( P2 \) gives you \( P2 = 2 atm \), indicating the gas pressure has increased due to a decrease in volume.

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