Question

A sample of an ideal gas is held at a constant temperature occupies 899 ml at 708 torr. What pressure does the gas exert on its container if the volume is decreased by 10 percent. Express your answer in torr.

Answer 1

786.7 torr

Step-by-step explanation:

Boyle's law states that for a gas kept at constant temperature, the pressure and the volume are inversely proportional to each other:

`pV=const.`

the law can be rewritten as

`p_1 V_1 = p_2 V_2`

where in this problem we have:

p1 = 708 torr is the initial pressure

V1 = 899 mL is the initial volume

p2 = ? is the final pressure

V2 = 0.90 V1 is the final volume (it is 90% of the initial volume, since the volume of the container has been reduced by 10%)

So, solving the equation for p2 we find

`p_2 = (p_1 V_1)/(V_2)=((708 torr) V_1)/(0.90 V_1)=(708 torr)/(0.9)=786.7 torr`