Question

The volume of a gas is reduced from 4 l to 0.5 l while the temperature is held constant. How does the gas pressure change?

Answer 1

The pressure increases by a factor 8

Step-by-step explanation:

For a gas held at constant temperature, Boyle's law can be applied. It states that the product of the gas pressure and the gas volume is constant, so we can write:

`p_1 V_1 = p_2 V_2`

where

`p_1` is the initial pressure

`p_2` is the final pressure

`V_1` is the initial volume

`V_2` is the final volume

For the gas in this problem, the volume is reduced from

`V_1 = 4 L`

to

`V_2 = 0.5 L`

so we can rewrite the equation as

`(p_2)/(p_1)=(V_1)/(V_2)=(4 L)/(0.5 L)=8`

this means that the pressure of the gas will increase by a factor 8.