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AimThe aim of this experiment is to study the variation in volume with pressure for a sample of air at constant temperature by plotting graphs between P and V, and between P and 1/V.
Apparatus RequiredA sample of air in a closed container
A pressure gauge
A syringe or piston
A thermometer
A ruler or meter scale
A stopwatch or timer
TheoryAccording to Boyle’s Law, the pressure and volume of a gas are inversely proportional to each other at constant temperature. Mathematically, this can be expressed as:
P x V = constant
where P is the pressure of the gas, V is its volume, and the product of P and V is constant at a constant temperature.
In this experiment, we will study the relationship between pressure and volume for a sample of air at constant temperature. We will measure the pressure and volume of the gas at different values of pressure, and then plot two graphs: one between P and V, and the other between P and 1/V. The graphs will help us understand the nature of the relationship between pressure and volume.
ProcedureCollect a sample of air in a closed container.
Measure the initial volume of the air using the syringe or piston and the ruler or meter scale.
Measure the temperature of the air using the thermometer.
Gradually increase the pressure of the air using the pressure gauge, and measure the corresponding volume of the air at each pressure value.
Record the data in a table and calculate the reciprocal of the volume for each pressure value.
Using the data obtained, plot a graph between pressure (P) and volume (V).
Using the same data, plot a graph between pressure (P) and the reciprocal of volume (1/V).
Draw the best-fit line through each graph.
Calculate the slope of each graph. The slope of the first graph represents the value of the constant k in Boyle’s Law, while the slope of the second graph represents the product of the constant k and the absolute temperature of the gas.
Observation and Result Result: The result of the experiment is a set of two graphs representing the relationship between pressure and volume, and between pressure and 1/volume, respectively. By calculating the slopes of these graphs, we can determine the value of the constant k in Boyle’s Law, as well as the product of k and the absolute temperature of the gas.
Observation: During the experiment, we observe that as the pressure of the gas increases, the volume of the gas decreases. This relationship is confirmed by the first graph, which shows a clear inverse proportionality between pressure and volume. The slope of this graph represents the constant k in Boyle’s Law.
We also observe that the second graph shows a linear relationship between pressure and the reciprocal of volume. The slope of this graph represents the product of k and the absolute temperature of the gas.
This experiment demonstrates the principles of Boyle’s Law and the inverse relationship between pressure and volume of a gas at constant temperature. The graphs obtained through the experiment help us visualize and understand the nature of this relationship.