According to Boyle's Law, what is the relationship between volume and pressure when temperature is constant?

Prepare for the DIVE Integrated Chemistry and Physics Quarterly Exam 3. Practice with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each question offers hints and explanations to guide your learning. Excel in your exam!

Boyle's Law states that at a constant temperature, the pressure of a gas is inversely proportional to its volume. This means that as the volume of a gas increases, its pressure decreases, and vice versa, given that the temperature remains unchanged. Mathematically, this relationship can be expressed as (PV = k), where (P) is pressure, (V) is volume, and (k) is a constant.

This inverse relationship illustrates that if you were to double the volume of a gas, the pressure would drop to half, provided the temperature does not change. This behavior can be demonstrated in practical situations, such as when you compress a gas into a smaller volume using a piston; the pressure rises as the volume decreases.

The nature of this relationship distinguishes it from directly proportional relationships, where an increase in one variable would lead to an increase in the other, or from situations where variables are completely unrelated. Furthermore, while constants do exist in certain scenarios, they do not apply to the relationship described by Boyle's Law.

Subscribe

Get the latest from Examzify

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy